Degrees of Evil
by demonman21
Summary: This is a different opener for Season 5. It does contain some spoilers, so watch out.
1. Degrees of Evil Part 1

Degrees of Evil Part 1:  
  
It is morning in the Halliwell manor, two weeks after they vanquished the Seer and most of the High Council. Piper is in the kitchen baking up a storm. As she finishes putting the last touches on a pile of pancakes, Leo orbs in.  
  
"Honey, that smells delicious, let's eat!"  
  
Piper bats his hand as he reaches for the food. "Not yet, honey. This is going to be a family breakfast. We are celebrating my pregnancy, Phoebe's new job, and the end of evil's leaders."  
  
Leo looks unhappy. "I know those are great things to celebrate. But can't we eat now and celebrate later?"  
  
Just then, Phoebe and Paige orb in from upstairs. Phoebe stumbles a bit when they land, and Paige grabs her. "Phoebe, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah Paige, I'm fine. I just got a little disoriented is all. So, Piper, what's with the spread?"  
  
"We are celebrating life in general, both the new life in me and our lives, free of evil for the moment." Piper remarked.  
  
Phoebe smiled, and said, "As much as I would love to celebrate with you, I'm late for work." As she gets up to leave, Leo's head tilts up. He stands up, and says, "Honey, they're calling."  
  
Piper retorts, "Can't they wait four minutes so we can celebrate?"  
  
"I'm sorry honey, but it sounds important. I have to go." As soon as he has said that, he disappeared in a flash of orbs. Turning, Piper realized that Phoebe was already out the door. "That's the last time I try and be happy," Piper grumbled as she turned to Paige. "And I suppose you have somewhere you have to be?"  
  
Paige smiles, and says, "Nope, I took a vacation day so I could practice my witchcraft. Want to help me?"  
  
Piper smiles, "Sure, I'd love to." *** As Phoebe walked into the office at the Bay Mirror, she found things as hectic as usual. The only difference was, Inspector Morris was waiting for her.  
  
"Darryl, what are you doing here?" Phoebe asked curiously.  
  
Darryl looked around anxiously, and then said, "Phoebe, can we talk somewhere?"  
  
Catching his anxiety, Phoebe walked into her office and said, "Sure, come on in." As soon as Darryl was inside, Phoebe closed the door and turned to him. "It's about my divorce, isn't it? Cole's come back and he's managed to stop it, hasn't he?" Phoebe asked slightly hysterically.  
  
Darryl held up his arms, and said, "Phoebe, relax. I spoke with a judge tomorrow, your divorce papers will be ready for your signature tomorrow."  
  
Phoebe visibly relaxed, and then said, "Then what's wrong?"  
  
Darryl pulled a set of files out of his jacket and said, "This."  
  
Phoebe opened the files and took a look. And then paled. "What's wrong with them?"  
  
Darryl said, "The doctors don't know. They were found like that, comatose and with a pentagram burned into their forehead. No one can figure out what's wrong with them, and we've found almost two dozen."  
  
Phoebe fell into her seat, and said, "My god.do you have any suspects?"  
  
Darryl's face took on a serious note as he said, "None, and we can't even figure out how they were chosen. They didn't know each other, or have any similiarities. The only thing we've found is that half of them were scum of the earth, and the other half were the closest things to saints you'll ever find. That's why we need your help. We are clueless Phoebe, but this has to stop."  
  
Phoebe looked at Darryl and said, "Don't worry, my sisters and I will look into this, and we'll stop this evil." *** Piper and Paige are in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of potions. Piper turns to Paige and says, "So, what do you add to this potion to make a witch-slaying spell?"  
  
Paige thinks about it, and then says, "Pig's feet?" Piper smiles, and says, "Right."  
  
As the two continue to work, Piper remarks to Paige "you know Paige, you've become much more focused on witchcraft lately. What's going on?"  
  
Paige looks at Piper and says, "I just felt that I should take advantage of this break in demon fighting to become stronger. I don't want to waste the time it'll take for the underworld to sort itself out. When they come back, I want to be ready for them." Suddenly, Leo orbs in with a very worried expression on his face.  
  
Piper takes one look at him and says, "Honey, what's wrong?"  
  
Leo looked at her and said, "Three witches have been attacked recently by an unknown demon?"  
  
Paige asked, "Are they dead? What happened?"  
  
"The Elders aren't sure. And no, they're not technically dead."  
  
Piper asked quizzically, "What do you mean 'technically'."  
  
Leo sighed, and said, "They were found in a coma, with a pentagram burned into their foreheads. No one can raise them, and none of our whitelighters can heal it."  
  
"Should we be scared that there is a demonic attack that whitelighters can't heal?" Paige asked with a very worried look on her face.  
  
"Very," Leo replied. "That's why the Elders want you on full alert. They need you to figure out who is doing it, and then destroy him?"  
  
"Don't bother," Phoebe said from the kitchen hallway.  
  
Piper and Paige looked over in surprise at Phoebe. "I thought you had a lot of work to get done?" Piper asked.  
  
"I did, but Darryl stopped by," Phoebe continued, "He told me over two dozen victims have been found, all with marks on their heads and all in comas. I told him we will deal with it, and we will." With that statement, Phoebe headed to the attic.  
  
Piper, Paige and Leo looked at each other, and then they started after her. "Where are you going Phoebe?" Piper called up to her.  
  
"I'm going to cast the spell to bring me to Cole so I can do what I should have done and vanquished him."  
  
"As much as I hate to side with him, what makes you think it is Cole?" Paige shouted as Pheobe reached the attack.  
  
"What other demon could possibly be strong enough to do this? And we know Cole has gained a lot of powers in the Wasteland, who knows what he has to do."  
  
"Phoebe I really think you're jumping the gun here." Piper began.  
  
"Look, I'm going down there whether you help me or not, "Phoebe interrupted. "You can either help me or stay out of my way."  
  
"Alright, we'll help you." Piper said.  
  
"Good, so set up the candles while I find the spell in the Book of Shadows."  
  
With practiced movements, the girls formed the circle of candles, and then Phoebe moved inside of it and began to chant.  
  
Whither My Love Wherever you Be Through time and space Take my heart nearer to Thee.  
  
As Phoebe fell to the ground, already on her way to the Wateland, Paige turned to Piper. "Do you think she's right about Cole?"  
  
"I don't know Paige," Piper responded. "But I think we should take a look in the Book of Shadows, just in case."  
  
"But if Phoebe is wrong," Paige continued insistently, "Wouldn't we be killing the wrong demon?"  
  
"Probably," Piper said gravely, and pointed to Phoebe. "But, I don't think it matters to her anymore. Our evil or not, Phoebe has had enough of Cole."  
  
*** As Phoebe appeared in the demonic wasteland, she staggered slightly, more disoriented than when Paige orbed her downstairs. Fleetingly, Phoebe wondered if she was sick. Teleportation never did this to her before recently. She made a mental note to check with Leo when she got back.  
  
Suddenly remembering where she was, Phoebe tensed, preparing to run from the creature when it appeared. But, there was no movement, or any indication that the creature had been through here recently.  
  
"Cole!" Phoebe shouted, looking around. "Cole, where are you?" Seeing nothing, Pheobe moved up on top of a ledge and looked out into the horizon. As her gaze wandered, seeking Cole among the vast graveyard of bones, Phoebe asked herself if she was really ready to vanquish Cole. Despite everything she had done, Cole was still the love of her life. Death had not changed that. Could she really kill him forever?  
  
"You rang?"  
  
Phoebe spun around, and there he was. He looked much better than the last time she was here. He had shaved, and he had changed into new clothes. He looked more rugged and handsome than she remembered, which was impressive since normally death makes people look worse. Well, it was time to take the offensive.  
  
"I know what you're up to Cole, and my sisters and I won't let you get away with it." Phoebe stated.  
  
Cole's expression didn't change, except for one raised eyebrow. ".I see. And what exactly is it that I have done?"  
  
Phoebe felt anger rising inside her. She knew he was toying with her, like he always did. Lying and manipulating her to get what he wanted. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. What did you do to all those people?"  
  
Cole's expression grew slightly more perplexed as he said, "Phoebe, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. For your information, I have committed no acts, evil or otherwise, on your plane of existence. I haven't been able to leave here long enough to do anything?"  
  
"Why should I believe you?" Phoebe demanded.  
  
"Damn it Phoebe," Cole shouted. "Do you really think I would be down here in this scenic part of Hell if I really could escape from here?"  
  
"I don't know Cole, I never wanted to know how evil thinks."  
  
Cole's face took on a hurt expression for one second, and then a mask was slammed down. His voice took on a chill overtone as he said, "While I didn't exactly expect a warm welcome from you, I had hoped we could at least be civil."  
  
Phoebe face became equally cold as she said, "Cole, give it up. I don't want you to come back, and I don't want to see you ever again. If you really loved me, you'd stay down here and just give up."  
  
Cole face remained impassive as he said, "I will always love you Phoebe. And if it was just you and me, I would avoid you forever if that is what you really want. But, " and Phoebe caught a momentary hesitation as if Cole knew something she didn't, "There are other factors to consider."  
  
Phoebe looked at Cole sadly, "Cole, please, MOVE ON! You would spend an eternity trapped here rather than move on to the afterlife."  
  
Cole smiled as he said, "I won't be down here forever. Even if I can't escape from here on my own, I can find someone to read from the Grimoire and bring me back. I will return to your realm, no matter how long I have to wait."  
  
Phoebe could feel a dark and bitter smile creep on her face as she said, "I'm sorry Cole. That isn't an option."  
  
Cole's face took on a puzzled look as he said, "What do you mean?"  
  
Phoebe could feel her smile widening as she said, "Leo got rid of the Grimoire for us?"  
  
"You mean he hid it somewhere?" Cole asked in desperation.  
  
"Nope, he threw it into a volcano. It is gone forever." Phoebe almost shouted triumphantly. Phoebe stared intently at Cole's face, realizing that a part of her was taking pleasure in forcing Cole to move on. She expected to see many emotions appear on his face, emotions like sadness or anger, or even bitterness. But she was totally unprepared for what happened next.  
  
Cole's wait went deathly pale, and his eyes widened. Suddenly, he reached forward and grabbed her arms. Phoebe tried to shake free, but his grip was too strong.  
  
"Phoebe, if you ever loved or trusted me at all then please, do what I tell you now. Have Leo take you and your sisters as far away from San Francisco as he can. Don't look back, and find somewhere to hide. Please!" And then Cole was gone.  
  
Phoebe looked around in desperation, but he was gone. Just as she felt herself leaving the Wasteland, Phoebe realized what emotion had played across Cole's face.  
  
It was fear.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. Part 2

Degrees of Evil Part 2:  
  
With a gasp, Phoebe returned to her body lying in the attic of the Halliwell manor. The disorientation was even worse than before, and Phoebe found the world spinning. Sensing something was wrong, Paige and Piper bent down to help her up.  
  
"Phoebe, is everything alright?" Piper asked anxiously.  
  
"I don't know," Phoebe replied honestly, "Every time I'm teleported somewhere I feel a large sense of disorientation. I can't explain it, but it's getting worse?" Piper turned to Leo and said, "Leo, can you please take a look, and see if something is wrong?"  
  
"Sure," Leo said, and he hurried over. With practiced ease, his hands roamed over her body, trying to seek a possible source for her disorientation. He paused slightly over her abdomen, and a puzzled look came over him. Shaking himself slightly, he finished his examination and pronounced, "Well, I don't detect anything biological. If you want, I'll go ask the Elders about it?"  
  
Phoebe responded, "Not now, we don't have time."  
  
"Why? Is Cole behind it?" Paige asked.  
  
"No, I'm pretty sure he's not. But he knows something. When I told him that we destroyed the Grimoire, he got scared. He told me to run and hide, and then he was gone. I don't know what to make of it."  
  
"Well," Piper said, "Paige and I glanced through the Book of Shadows while you were gone. We don't have any clue what could possibly put people into comas like that." She pauses for a second and then adds, "I'm kind of surprised Grams didn't give us a hand. We tried to get her to, doing the whole 'we're clueless' thing, but nothing happened."  
  
"Grams can't help you if she doesn't know anything." Leo said helpfully. "The bottom line is no one up there has a clue what's going on, but they're really worried." "Well, that's just great." Phoebe said sarcastically. "No one has a clue what's going on, and we have no clues to go off of. We have no way to find this demon, and Cole isn't being helpful at all. What are we supposed to do, keep an eye on every saint and scum in town till this thing strikes?"  
  
"What we really need is for you to have a premonition." Paige remarked.  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice," Phoebe began, "but it's not like my premonitions will just appear out of nowhere, I mean."  
  
Suddenly, Phoebe jerked, and entered premonition mode. She saw the Church of St. Michaels, and heard the clock toll noon. In the church was a priest who was praying to God. Suddenly, a demon shimmered in behind him. He was about 6 ft with long black hair and an athletic body. The demon spun the priest around and slammed his right hand into the priest's forehead. The priest started screaming, and Phoebe 'watched' as something seemed to be ripped from the priest. After a few moments, the priest fell over, completely comatose. The demon smiled, and then he was gone.  
  
As Phoebe came out of it, Paige turned to Piper and said, "Did she just have a premonition appear on request? How did she do that?"  
  
"I don't know," Piper confessed, "Maybe her powers are growing. Phoebe, what did you see?"  
  
"I saw the demon attacking a priest at the Church of St. Michaels. Oh, my god." Phoebe exclaimed. "What time is it?"  
  
Leo looked at a clock, and said, "Ten till noon, why?" Phoebe's face went ashen, and she said, "We have ten minutes to get there, or we'll lose our innocent. Paige, hurry up and orb us there!"  
  
Quick as a flash, Paige grabbed her two sisters and they disappeared in a swirl of blue lights.  
  
Leo looked around, and said, "Time to check with the elders." Then he was gone. *** "Holy father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." As the words of the prayer left Father Damien's mouth, he felt an inner peace overwhelm him. He knew that he wasn't perfect, and that he had his faults. However, his life had a purpose as long as he spent it helping others, and doing his best to spread the Lord's work.  
  
As he was finishing up his prayers, he saw a flash of blue lights out of the corner of his eye. Puzzled, Father Damien turned just in time to see Paige, Piper, and Phoebe orb in. With a start, he backed up and shouted, "My GOD! Who are you?"  
  
Piper held up her hands, and said, "Relax, father. We're here to keep you safe from a demon that is going to attack."  
  
"Are you angels?" Father Damien asked.  
  
"Well, I'm half angel," Paige offered.  
  
Suddenly, the demon was there. He grabbed Father Damien and spun him around.  
  
"Hurry, Piper, freeze him!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
Piper gestured, but nothing happened. The demon placed his right hand on Father Damien's forehead, and Father Damien began to jerk and scream. Small white orbs seemed to leave Father Damien and flow into the demon, and each orb caused the Father to struggle less and less.  
  
"I can't, he's immune!" Piper shouted.  
  
Phoebe ran over and delivered a crushing blow to the demon's jaw. The demon didn't even flinch. She followed it up with a roundhouse kick to the demon's chest. Startled, the demon staggered back a little, and Father Damien fell to the floor. He was pale, but still conscious.  
  
The demon looked at Phoebe, and then said, "Three witches. This was an unexpected treat." With a gesture, Phoebe went flying back into her sisters.  
  
The demon smiled, and said, "Well then. Shall we get started?"  
  
Paige looked around, and spotted a chalice sitting on the altar. "Chalice!" she shouted, and the chalice disappeared in a swirl of blue orbs. Paige threw it at the demon. It hit him squarely in the chest, with no effect. Piper gestured, but nothing happened.  
  
The demon's smile widened, and he remarked, "Surely three witches can do better than that?"  
  
Piper shouted, "Paige, grab the Father, we need to fall back! Phoebe, hold him back." Phoebe levitated up and delivered a series of kicks to the demons face. The demon's head jerked back at each kick, but otherwise he was unchanged. Quickly, Paige grabbed the priest. "Got him!"  
  
Piper and Phoebe grabbed Paige, and then they were gone in a swirl of blue. The demon looked up at the altar, and then he said, "Gaza!"  
  
A small impish looking demon appeared in front of the demon. "Yes master?"  
  
"Return to the Chamber and keep guard. We have new players in the game, player's who wish to stop me from my purpose."  
  
The imp bowed, and then he shimmered out. The demon's smile widened, and then he said, "Let them try, it'll be fun to destroy them." Then he faded out. *** As the three sisters orbed back into the manor, Piper shouted, "LEO!" Leo appeared, and said, "How did it go?"  
  
"We got our asses kicked. Heal him." Piper said. As Leo bent over to heal the semiconscious priest, Piper turned to Paige and said, "Paige, go get the Book of Shadows, it's time to find out who our mystery demon is." Paige nodded, and then ran up that stairs towards the attic. Piper turned to Phoebe and asked, "How are you feeling? Any disorientation?"  
  
Phoebe swallowed slowly, like she felt sick. "Some, but I won't let that stop us." She sat down heavily. "That demon was toying with us, and you know it Piper."  
  
Piper sat down next to her, "I know, but it will be his mistake. He may be able to handle us separately, but no demon can handle the Power of Three. Leo, WHAT is taking so long?" Piper asked irritably.  
  
Leo looked at Piper worriedly. "I can't heal him. Whatever's wrong with him, I can't fix it."  
  
"Can you at least tell us what is wrong with him?" Phoebe asked. Leo looked down at the priest. "It's nothing physical. It's like a piece of his soul is just.GONE."  
  
Paige came back down with the book and said, "Got it, let's get to work."  
  
"Don't bother. He won't be in there." A voice said out of nowhere.  
  
Spinning around, the three sisters watched as Cole appeared behind them. He looked distraught, and scared.  
  
"Cole, who IS he?" Phoebe asked. "Tell us, please."  
  
"Phoebe, for the last time, RUN! Don't stay and fight him, you can't stop him. No one can." Cole said desperately.  
  
"Look Cole," Paige said impatiently, "We're not running. The Charmed Ones have never backed down from a fight, and we're not going to start now. So, either tell us what you know, or leave."  
  
"I can't leave, I have to protect someone."  
  
"Cole," Phoebe said, "I don't want or need your protection. I don't want anything to DO with you. Just tell us what you know and leave."  
  
A mysterious smile touched Cole's lips as he said, "What makes you think I'm here to protect you?"  
  
"Huh?" Phoebe asked in puzzlement.  
  
"Never mind, it's not important. I guess I'll tell you what I know." Cole said. He sighed, and said, "Eons ago, when the lines of good and evil were just being drawn, evil had a leader by the name of Balkos. He was the first Source, and he was brilliant. The man had a plan for everything. He even planned what would happen if it looked like evil was going to lose the war."  
  
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.  
  
"I mean, Balkos came up with a contingency plan in the deepest secrecy of what to do if the side of evil ever seemed on the brink of destruction. He designed a Chamber that would take a being and make them the most powerful evil being ever. It didn't matter whether they were evil to start with. The machine would make them evil, and enhance their power a thousand fold. He then created a demon, the most powerful demon at the time, bar none, whose whole purpose was to choose a vessel for the machine and to activate it. This demon was called Ezekiel."  
  
"So you're saying we've been fighting this demon? But I don't understand, if the demon's whole purpose is to find a vessel to make evil, why is he killing people?" Paige asked.  
  
Cole looked at Paige in disdain and said, "What exactly do you think powers a machine like that?"  
  
"Souls," Piper uttered.  
  
"Exactly. The machine requires an equal amount of good and evil souls, or pieces of souls, to function. Since the machine was never activated, I don't know how many are needed, and I think the 'level of good or evil' a soul has increases its power."  
  
"So, this demon has been stealing people's souls to power this Chamber?" Phoebe asked worriedly. "Wait, where has this demon been all this time? If he has only one purpose and that is all he thinks about, why hasn't he done it before?"  
  
Cole smiled, and said, "Because when Ezekiel was first created, he tried to do just that. Balkos realized that he had to find a way to contain Ezekiel until he was needed, so he and his top demons got together and designed a prison for him, and then they placed him in it. 5 of the most powerful demons ever seen started the battle with Ezekiel, and only Balkos survived. But, in the end, Ezekiel was imprisoned."  
  
"So, how did he get out?" Piper asked.  
  
"You let him out." Cole said.  
  
"WHAT!" Everyone said together. "How did we do that?"  
  
"It's simple." Cole finished, "The prison Balkos created was a book, a book of such evil that it eventually became the centerpiece of the underworld, and I'm sure you can figure out what book that was."  
  
"The Grimoire." Phoebe said, her face going ashen. "Are you saying that when Leo destroyed the book, he freed Ezekiel?"  
  
"I'm afraid so. Balkos knew that evil would never destroy the book: it was too important. So, he reasoned that if good ever became strong enough to capture the book and destroy it, then it was time for the Chamber to be used."  
  
All of the Charmed Ones faces had gone white, and they all said at the same time, "My God!"  
  
"Now do you understand why we have to run?" Cole asked.  
  
"We're not running," Piper said.  
  
"What! Even after everything I told you, you're still going to fight him?" Cole exclaimed.  
  
"Cole, we have to. This is all our faults. We caused this mess, it is our job to fix it." Phoebe said.  
  
"You don't understand," Cole begged. "You CANNOT vanquish him. It took the strongest evil just to contain him, and nothing like that exists now. The only way he can die is when the Chamber is activated. Then, his purpose is complete and he dies."  
  
"Cole, we do understand." Phoebe said gravely. "But we still have to try."  
  
Cole sighed, and then he said, "Then I'll help you. We won't win, but I won't leave."  
  
Suddenly, they could hear clapping reverberating throughout the room. They all turned in time to see Ezekiel appear. He was smiling, and he said, "How touching and surprising. A Source with a heart."  
  
"I'm not the Source." Cole muttered.  
  
"Oh, sure you were Cole. Admittedly, you weren't the dominant part of your soul, but you're still the Source. After all, only the Source knew that story. It was my job to give it to them when they said the oath, so they knew what to do if I was ever needed. But I stray. Will you please move out of the way so I can deal with the Father? I really do need the rest of his soul."  
  
"Not a chance." Piper said as she got between Ezekiel and the Father.  
  
Ezekiel smiled. "Oh, well. I haven't had a good fight in.well, eons. Shall we get started." With that, he threw an energy ball at Cole, who blocked it and returned the favor. As the energy ball struck Ezekiel, he smiled and said, "My, powers have grown since I was last out. I believe you are about twice as strong as Balkos was, which makes you about.100 times too weak to kill me." As Ezekiel turned towards the Father, he said, "We'll continue the battle in a moment, let me just finish what I started." Suddenly, he was behind Piper and touching Father Damien again.  
  
"NO!" Phoebe shouted as she launched herself at Ezekiel. She delivered a crushing flying kick to his head, but he didn't move. Ezekiel's smile widened, and then he said, "Once I have someone, nothing can break my grip. I let go the first time. I wanted to see what you were made of. Now, I have no such desire." Just as he finished, Father Damien fell to the ground, in a coma with the pentagram on his forehead. Ezekiel held up his right hand and Phoebe saw a pentagram shape glowing on his hand. "Shall we continue."  
  
Suddenly, Cole slammed into Ezekiel, dragging him to the ground. "RUN!" he shouted as he began to wrestle with Ezekiel. As the sisters and Leo ran upstairs towards the attic, Ezekiel looked at Cole. "That was stupid." *** Just as the sisters and Leo got upstairs, Cole broke through the floor. He flew up and slammed into the roof, and then he fell to the ground, unconscious. A few seconds later, he faded. Apparently, the battle had caused him to lose whatever willpower or strength kept him in this realm. Ezekiel shimmered in, and wiped a piece of dirt from his shirt. "He really should have kept his guard up? Oh, well. This is getting boring." Ezekiel said as he began to walk towards the sisters.  
  
"NO!" Leo shouted as he hurled himself at Ezekiel. He began to punch and kick Ezekiel, trying desperately to stop him. Ezekiel's smiled, and he said, "A whitelighter who is willing to fight? What a rare thing." With a gesture, Leo went flying and hit the wall. He slumped down, and lay still.  
  
"LEO!" Piper shouted.  
  
"Don't worry. He's just unconscious." Ezekiel said. "I wouldn't destroy something as rare as an aggressive whitelighter. You however." As Ezekiel continued his approach towards the sisters, Paige said, "Let's get out of here." With that, she grabbed the sisters and began to orb out with them. Ezekiel simply looked at them and said, "No." With a scream, Paige and her sisters landed back where they were. Paige stumbled back and said, "That hurt.A LOT!"  
  
"I can see I'll have to make you understand the futility of fighting me." Ezekiel said. With a gesture, Piper and Paige went flying, and hit the wall. Suddenly, rope came out of the wall and wrapped themselves around their wrists, ankles, waist and neck. Within seconds, Piper and Paige were trapped. Ezekiel looked at them, and said, "You are going to watch as I take your sister's goodness. I want you to remember this, and remember how powerless you are to stop it." Phoebe was backing up, trying to figure out a way to fight back. Ezekiel simply said, "It is time." Quick as a flash he had slammed his right hand into Phoebe's forehead.  
  
"NO!" Piper and Paige shouted. They struggled futilely to break free. Phoebe had both hands on Ezekiels arm, trying to rip him off her forehead. Ezekiel said, "Very impressive, few have the strength to try and fight back. Now, watch and remember," Ezekiel said to Piper and Paige.  
  
Meanwhile, Phoebe could feel herself growing weak, could feel her strength and purpose being leeched out of her. Her arms lost all power, and she felt them fall to her sides. It can't end like this the inner core of Phoebe thought. There must be something I can do she thought as she looked within herself. Someone, please, help me! And suddenly, someone was there, another presence who simply said I can help in her mind. Let me help, please. Without remorse or hesitation, Phoebe gave herself over to that other presence inside of her.  
  
Meanwhile, Piper and Paige watching with growing horror as Phoebe fought back less and less. When her hands fell to her sides, Ezekiel smiled and said, "It's all over now." Suddenly, his smile disappeared, and he looked down at Phoebe. "What the." Phoebe's eyes, which had close recently, suddenly opened back up, and they glowed with pure power. Phoebe's right hand pointed at Ezekiel, and suddenly Ezekiel was hit by a beam of energy. He flew back and slammed into the wall. Phoebe got up, and looked at Piper and Phoebe. Suddenly, the restraints were gone.  
  
As Ezekiel got back to his feet, he realized two very disturbing things. 1) His grip had been broken, which COULD NOT happen, and 2) He was bleeding. No one had ever made him bleed. Even when Balkos and his allies attacked him, they just held him long enough to put him in the Grimoire. What was going on?  
  
"WHO ARE YOU!" Ezekiel shouted, a look of never before seen rage entering his face. Piper and Paige were staring at Phoebe in astonishment, and Piper asked, "Pheebs?" Phoebe looked her way, and a smile touched her lips. Then, she turned back to Ezekiel, and the smile vanished.  
  
"You want to see power," Phoebe said in a masculine voice, "I will show you power." As Ezekiel and the sisters watched, Phoebe clenched her fists and began to glow. Lightning began to course around her, and the glow intensified. The ground started to shake, and Ezekiel backed up in fear. Never had he seen such POWER! Knowing he had no chance, Ezekiel shimmered out.  
  
Phoebe turned towards Piper and Paige, and a smile touched her lips. Then, her eyes stopped glowing, and she collapsed. *** As Ezekiel returned from battle, he shouted "GAZA!"  
  
The little imp came over and said, "Yes master!" he then gasped as he exclaimed, "Master, you're bleeding, what happened? Did you get the priests soul?"  
  
As Ezekiel sat down and Gaza began to tend his wounds, he said, " I got more than that." Ezekiel suddenly got up and looked towards the Chamber. "I found our vessel."  
  
*** When Phoebe came to, she found Piper, Paige and Leo hovering over her.  
  
Piper was the first to speak, and when she did, you could hear the awe in her voice. "Phoebe, what happened? How did you get so strong?"  
  
"What does it matter?" Paige asked, "All that matters is she is stronger, and we learned that Phoebe can kick Ezekiel's ass. Too bad Cole got sent back to the wasteland. It would have been cool to see the look on his face."  
  
"That's not all we've learned." Phoebe said suddenly. As she got up and walked to the window, she said, "We've learned something else, something that may be even more important and dangerous than Ezekiel ever could be."  
  
Piper and Paige looked at each other, and then said, "What do you mean?"  
  
Phoebe stared out the window for a few seconds, as if gathering strength for whatever she had to say. She then sighed, turned towards Piper, Paige and Leo, and said, "I'm still pregnant."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	3. Part 3

Degrees of Evil Part 3  
  
"WHAT!" Piper exclaims.  
  
"I'm still pregnant." Phoebe repeated quietly.  
  
"Wha...ho.huh?" Piper muttered incoherently. She is a little startled and shocked, but Paige more than makes up for it.  
  
"Phoebe, how the Hell could you keep the fact that you're still carrying the son of the source around inside of you a secret from us?" She demands.  
  
Phoebe turns to Paige irritably, "I didn't keep anything from you, Paige. I didn't know."  
  
"How could you not know you were pregnant?" Paige asked.  
  
"I don't know," Phoebe shouts. "Before the demon showed up I was feeling normal, but suddenly I know that I'm pregnant. I don't know how I know, I just do!"  
  
Piper whirls on Leo and asks, "Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Leo looks at her in confusion and says, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't play innocent with me," Piper drawls, "You just finished healing her from the disorientation. How could you not notice she had a life growing in her abdomen?"  
  
"Look, when I probed her abdomen for injuries, something felt slightly off." Leo said, "Instead of having to scan for injuries, a clean bill of health was practically given to me. I thought it was suspicious, but I didn't think she was still pregnant."  
  
"Well, that's just great." Paige drawls. "Phoebe, how could you not know you were pregnant? Wasn't the morning sickness a dead giveaway?"  
  
"What morning sickness? I have felt normal since the seer took my baby, or I thought she did." Phoebe said.  
  
Piper looked at her curiously, and asked, "Wait, are you telling me you aren't feeling nauseous? No breast pain, no pain at all?" When Phoebe nodded, she whirled to Leo, "How come she gets off so easy? Why the Hell doesn't she have the same symptoms as I do? We're both carrying powerful magical children?"  
  
"I don't know," Leo responds. "But I definitely think I need to talk to the Elders." And with that he is gone in a swirl of orbs.  
  
"Get back here!" Piper shouted. "Coward!"  
  
"Let's focus on the immediate problem Piper," Paige said, "Mainly, how are we going to get rid of this baby? It is, after all the Prince of Darkness."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Phoebe shouted, "My child just saved all our lives, and I didn't feel the same evil presence as when the Source was in my body."  
  
"Phoebe, can we really afford to take that chance?" Piper asked, "If you're wrong about him, we are setting the world up for a lot of problems. I mean, you felt his power and we saw it. If that power ever became evil, I don't know if we could stop it."  
  
"Hey, before we deal with the baby, what are we going to do about Ezekiel?" Paige interrupted.  
  
"Ezekiel was injured in the fight, and he ran away." Phoebe said, "I don't think we'll have to worry about him till he's healed. And none of our spells have been able to touch him. We couldn't even injure him with out best attacks."  
  
"Which is exactly my point," Piper interrupted. "Our strongest attacks didn't even slow Ezekiel down, yet your child knocked him flat on his ass. The child is too strong, Phoebe. Unless we can be absolutely sure, we have to deal with him."  
  
"Uh, guys.look!" Paige said, as she points toward the Book of Shadows. The pages began to move. When they came to stop, they were on a blank page.  
  
"Well, that's really helpful." Piper muttered. Suddenly, she felt a strange feeling in her stomach, and words began to appear on the page.  
  
"An infant communication spell?" Paige said, reading the title. "Do we want to try it?"  
  
"Well, it would be a way to make sure about the baby." Phoebe said.  
  
"Alright, I can see I'm outvoted 3 to 1." Piper muttered.  
  
"Don't you mean 2 to 1?" Paige asked.  
  
With her hand on her stomach, Piper said, "No, I mean 3 to 1. Let's do it."  
  
Magic forces Black and White Cross the barriers of life and light Bring the mind of Phoebe's child near So we listen and he may hear  
  
*** Suddenly, the three sisters found themselves transported into a place of swirling mists. Looking around in confusion, Piper asked, "Where are we?"  
  
"You're exactly where you wanted to be." a neutral voice said. Looking around, the sisters spotted an orb of light approaching them.  
  
"What are you?" Piper asked nervously.  
  
The sisters could almost feel the orb smile as it said, "Is that anyway to greet me, mom?"  
  
Piper hands flew to her stomach as she said, "Are you."  
  
"You got it." The orb said, "You needed to talk to my cousin, and I agreed to act as a go between. He'll be here in a moment."  
  
"Wait, if we're here, shouldn't he be here, since he's in Phoebe's stomach?" Paige asked curiously.  
  
"Actually, you aren't here physically." The orb said, "Your minds came here, but your bodies are actually lying on the floor of the attic."  
  
"Oh. That works." Paige said quietly.  
  
"Out of curiosity, while we're waiting, I don't suppose you'd tell me what sex you are?" Piper asked.  
  
The orb's 'smile' widened as it said, "I think it would be more fun for you to wait and see." Suddenly, it turned around, "He's almost here. By the way, you cannot lie here, so you can ask him whatever you want and he will have to answer truthfully."  
  
Without warning, a small boy walked out of the mist. He appeared to be about 3 or 4, and had black hair. By all accounts, he appeared to be a normal, healthy little boy, with major difference. As the sisters finally looked at his eyes, they realized his irises were shaped like hourglasses, and that they were guarded, even cold as he regarded the sisters.  
  
"Cousin." he said, and bowed to the orb. "I see you felt it best to hide you sex. I will respect that decision." As he turned to the sisters, he continued, "Shall we get this over with? You wanted to talk to me about something?"  
  
"First of all," Paige asked curiously, "Why do you look like that? I can hardly believe Phoebe is carrying a toddler in her womb.unless you aren't in her womb any longer?"  
  
The boy smiled slightly, a smile that touched his lips but not his mouth, and said, "Trust me, I'm still in there. However, it would be rather hard to talk to you as a 2 inch fetus that had no speech or walking capacity. So, I chose a slightly older form."  
  
"If you're in my womb, why don't I have any of the normal pregnancy symptoms?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I've been suppressing the normal symptoms using my powers. Even though Uncle Leo told my cousin not to, I felt it was the least I could do."  
  
"Wait a second," Piper demanded. "You can speak to Leo?"  
  
The orb paused, and then said, "Well, he is my father, and we both have whitelighter in us. It doesn't always work, but we can talk now and then."  
  
Piper looked slightly angry as she said, "And you're telling me that I could be feeling fine, and that my husband WANTED me to have these symptoms?"  
  
The orb looked uncomfortable, and then it said, "I was going to suppress them, but Dad told me not to. Something about letting you experience it all without my help."  
  
"Remind me to kill Leo when I get back." Piper muttered darkly.  
  
"We're getting off topic," Phoebe's son said, "Was there anything in particular you wanted to know from me?"  
  
The sisters hesitated for a few moments, and then Paige said bluntly, "Are you evil?"  
  
The boy's face didn't change, but his eyes bespoke a sharp pain when Paige asked that. "No, I am not evil. I never was. The part of me that was evil, the part that the Source took over, died when the seer ripped it from me."  
  
"How did you survive? I thought the seer took you out of me?" Phoebe asked.  
  
The boy looked at them for a moment, and then said slowly, "When my.when the Source was vanquished, he used the open link of blood to possess me. Despite my best efforts, it wasn't long before I became suppressed and the Source had full control."  
  
"Wait, we saw the power you displayed against Ezekiel," Piper said, "The Source wasn't nearly that strong. If he had that kind of power, why did he fall?"  
  
"Two reasons. First of all, I was weaker at that age than now."  
  
"It's only been about three weeks, how much stronger could you have gotten?" Paige asked.  
  
"Like my cousin, our powers will continue to grow as we do. Just like yours did when you were in your mother's womb. The only difference is we started out much higher because of who are parents are."  
  
"I can't believe you've gotten that much stronger in such a short time." Piper said.  
  
"Well, that wasn't the only reason. In addition, when the Source began to take over and I realized I wouldn't win, I took almost all of my power and sealed it where the Source couldn't reach it. To be honest, the Source only tapped into about .01% of my power."  
  
"That still doesn't explain how you stayed with me," Phoebe said, "I felt a baby leave my body and go into the Seer."  
  
"When the Seer began the transfer, I realized what the Source's goal was, and I panicked. I fought with everything I had, but I still didn't have the willpower. In desperation, I split my powers. The Source was transferred to the Seer with the powers he could normally tap, and I remained in Phoebe's body. However, the splitting left me weak and I could barely function for weeks."  
  
"Wait, how come I'm not in a lot of pain when you cast? When you did it before.before the Seer, I almost burst into flames and almost blew apart." Phoebe asked.  
  
The boy smile grew a little wider as he remarked, "The Source may have been willful, but he lacked a lot in subtlety. He always forced his way through when he cast like a bull hitting a gate, with no real concern for what happened to you. I on the other hand, like my cousin, am more cautious and careful when I cast. That is why you won't hurt anymore when I cast."  
  
The Charmed Ones looked at each other, and then Paige said, "I guess that pretty much answers all our questions."  
  
"Excellent. Before you leave, I was wondering if I could ask something of Phoebe."  
  
Phoebe looked a little puzzled, and then she said, "Sure what do you want to know?"  
  
Phoebe's son turned away from them, and then said quietly, "Why do you hate me?"  
  
"What?" Phoebe exclaimed.  
  
"I can understand Aunt Paige and Aunt Piper hating me. Aunt Paige hates everything that was ever touched by my father because she is just bigoted, and Aunt Piper was mad because she thought I was the reason you went evil, but why do you hate me?"  
  
"What makes you think I hate you? I never." Phoebe began.  
  
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Phoebe's son shouted as he spun around. To the shock of the Charmed Ones, tears were coursing down his checks. "I am linked to you mother, I know everything you feel. Feel what I have." Suddenly, all three sisters felt emotions slam into them like blows. First hatred, then guilt, then relief, and finally happiness. When they recovered, Piper gasped, "What was that?"  
  
"That is all I ever felt from you Phoebe. First, hatred of me because I was the son of a Source. Then guilt after he died. And then, relief and happiness when you thought I was dead. You didn't mourn me, YOU WERE GLAD I WAS DEAD!" Phoebe's son was shouting at the top of his lungs, and the sisters could feel the raw emotions being expressed. "I AM YOUR SON! I LOVE YOU UNCONDITIONALLY BECAUSE YOU ARE MY MOTHER, AND WOULD SACRIFICE ANYTHING FOR YOU. I AM YOUR FLESH AND BLOOD AND YOU WERE GLAD THAT I WAS DE.glad that I was de." Unable to continue, Phoebe's son fell to his knees and began to sob.  
  
"My God," the three sisters said simultaneously. They could feel tears coming out and rolling down their cheeks as they realized that the child before them had never felt love from his mother, and they also knew what a burden it must have been, to want to be loved by someone who only seemed to hate your very existence.  
  
Phoebe moved forward and bent down in front of him. "Son." She said, and her son looked up into her eyes with a face devastated by grief, sadness and pain. Phoebe held out her arms, and she tried to force the words out of a throat that seemed to have gotten smaller suddenly. "I..I'm so sorry." Without warning, her son fell into her arms and held her tightly, almost as if he was afraid that it was all a dream, a dream he didn't want to end. She just rocked back and forth with him in her arms as he cried, and keep saying softly, "I'm so sorry. I love you." Piper and Paige got down on their knees and brought both Phoebe and her son into a hug. No one was sure how much time passed, but eventually, the tears stopped and Phoebe's son got control of himself. As he looked around, Paige said, "Welcome to the Halliwell family. And I am not a bigot." The boy's face broke into a small smile, and they saw the love he felt for them, the love he had been afraid was not returned by them. "I'm sorry I called you a bigot, Auntie Paige."  
  
"As much as I hate to interrupt this moment," the orb said. "It's time for you to get back to your bodies. I can't hold this for much longer."  
  
As the three sisters got up and began to leave, they said, "Never doubt that we love you, or that we don't want you with us. You are family, and we will always love you." Then they vanished.  
  
Phoebe's son turned to the orb and said, "Thank you cousin. I owe you big."  
  
The orb seemed to give the equivalent of a shrug. "Don't mention it. You needed to know that they loved you, and they needed to know that you were good. It made the family happier, and so I am fine."  
  
"Well, thanks anyway." Phoebe's son said, and then he faded.  
  
Just as the orb was about to leave, it looked up for a moment. And then it was gone as well.  
  
*** "Do you think they knew we were watching master?" Gaza asked Ezekiel.  
  
"Of course not," Ezekiel said as the Seeing Pool went back to normal, "The other child may suspect, but I was very careful. And even if it did, I needed to see that so I could learn about my vessel."  
  
"What is the plan, Master?" Gaza questioned.  
  
"We will watch for now."  
  
"Why aren't we going to attack and take the vessel?" Gaza demanded.  
  
"As my wound plainly shows, I cannot take on the vessel in a head on battle and win. Nor can I take on the witches as long as he is protecting them. So, I will watch and wait." Ezekiel responded.  
  
"Wouldn't it be better to choose another vessel?"  
  
"NO! I have made my choice. Now, it is simply a matter of time." Ezekiel said.  
  
"Time till what?" Gaza asked.  
  
"Everyone has a weakness, my dear servant. It doesn't matter how strong they are, a weakness is there. We simply have to watch and wait until we find it, and then the vessel will be MINE!" Ezekiel said, and then he began to laugh, a laugh that seemed to reverberate throughout the underworld.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	4. Part 4

Degrees of Evil Part 4  
  
As Phoebe opened her eyes, she saw sunlight filtering through the attic window. She also felt a pillow underneath her head and a blanket over her body. As she got up, she saw Piper and Paige next to her stirring. Phoebe felt warmth emanate from her abdomen, and she smiled. For the first time in weeks, she felt happy.  
  
"How long were we gone?" Paige asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure." Piper said, and then smiled. Sitting in the corner with his head slumped was Leo. She walked over and touched his cheek. He started awake, and then he smiled. "I knew that you were gone, but I was worried. I hope you had a good time."  
  
"How long were we out Leo?" Paige asked as she walked over to him.  
  
Leo looked down at his watch, and then said, "Just under 12 hours."  
  
Phoebe gave a start and then said, "12 HOURS! Oh my god! I'm going to be late for divorce court."  
  
Piper looked over at Phoebe and said, "Are you sure you still want to go through with it, now that.well, now that you have a son."  
  
Phoebe touched her stomach, and then responded, "Having his son doesn't change my feelings towards Cole. I love him, but it is time for us to move on. We had our chance, and it didn't work. I have accepted that, and now he needs to as well."  
  
"What about Ezekiel?" Paige asked. "He is still out there."  
  
Phoebe smiled, "I think we all know how effective Ezekiel has been against my son. Let him try." Even as she said 'my son', Phoebe could feel both how strange that sounded and the pride she felt in those words. "Anyway, gotta go, talk to you all later." And then she was out the door.  
  
Piper turned to Leo and said, "You wanted me to experience it all naturally, eh?"  
  
Leo suddenly looked really uncomfortable, and he said, "Well.um, that is to say."  
  
Piper smiled and said, "Relax. As much as I hate all the pain and sickness, I wouldn't miss a moment of this pregnancy for ANYTHING. So, what did the Elders tell you?"  
  
"Not a whole lot," Leo said. "Only that they are really worried about this child. He has too much power to fall to evil."  
  
"Don't worry Leo. He won't. We have that on the best authority." Paige said. "That still leaves us with our other problem. We need to find a way to vanquish Ezekiel."  
  
Piper turned to Paige and said, "I don't see how we can do that. You saw how effective our powers were against him."  
  
Paige said, "Yeah, but there has to be some way. I refuse to believe there is an evil our there we can't beat. I'm going to go ahead and take a look at the Book. Want to help?"  
  
Piper looked at her watch, and said, "Maybe later. I have to go check in with the club and make sure it didn't blow up while I was gone. Leo, mind giving me a lift?"  
  
"Sure, honey." Leo said, and then they orbed out.  
  
Paige smiled, and then bent towards the Book of Shadows with intensity. ***  
  
It was finally over Phoebe thought. I am officially divorced from Cole as of 5 minutes ago. As Phoebe walked towards her car, she tried to figure out how she felt about that. Sadness of course that it hadn't worked out, but also a little bit of happiness. She was actually a little happy that she could move on with her life. Almost unbidden, she sent a thought directed at her unborn son. I still love your father, and this divorce is neither your fault nor do I love you less. It just didn't work out.  
  
"Phoebe, how could you?"  
  
Looking around, she found herself facing Cole, and she got her second shock of the day. He was pale, and looked like he was struggling with something. He obviously hadn't recovered from the battle with Ezekiel. She looked at him for a second, and then said, "I had no choice."  
  
"Had no choice! What do you mean," Cole exclaimed. "I would have eventually found a way to get out of the wasteland permanently, and then we could be together. And then there's." Suddenly, Cole seemed to hesitate.  
  
"And then there's what Cole?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Cole hesitated a little longer, and then he pressed on. "Phoebe, you're stilling carrying our son. I didn't want to be the one to tell you, but you have to believe me."  
  
Phoebe's face took on a surprised expression, not because of the reason Cole thought, but because she didn't realize he had known. "How do you know that Cole?"  
  
Cole's face turned sorrowful. "While I was in the wasteland, I felt the Seer die and the Source. However, I could still feel my son (even now his face took on a proud look) alive somewhere. When you appeared to me in answer to my cries, I realized you thought he was still dead, so I let you believe that."  
  
"Why would you not tell me?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Cole looked down at the ground, and then he said, "He asked me not to. He knew I still loved him, but he wasn't sure about you."  
  
"Wait, you've spoken with him?" Phoebe demanded.  
  
"Yes, several times. We are linked by both blood and powers. We both know how hard it is to fight the Source. I even helped him get over it after it happened."  
  
As Phoebe tried to adjust to what she had just heard, she said automatically, "I already knew Cole, and it doesn't change my decision. I will always love you, but it is time for both of us to move on."  
  
"But Phoebe." Cole began, tears in his eyes.  
  
"MOVE ON COLE!" Phoebe shouted, as she fought to keep the tears back. "I have accepted the fact that we aren't meant to be together, and so should you."  
  
Cole looked at her for one more moment with a haunted look in his eyes, and then he was gone.  
  
Phoebe fell to her knees, and began to cry. She wondered if she had made the right choice. She also wondered what Cole would do now that he had lost her. However, on some deep level, she already knew. And for that, she wept even harder, for a soul that had tried so hard to fight destiny for her, to fight his nature for her, and had lost in the end. ***  
  
Cole stared out into the Wasteland, and wished it would all end. He had been vanquished, stabbed, shot, and hit with more magical powers than he could even remember. And none of them hurt nearly as bad as this did. It hurt to breathe, to think, to EXIST. It took all of Cole's willpower not to fall to his knees and weep forever. He had lost her, the love of his life was beyond his powers to reach. No matter what he did, even if he managed to get out of here permanently, it wouldn't matter. She was lost forever.  
  
Cole wished for death, for the nullification of his existence. He longed to be devoured by the creature here, for no pain he could give could hurt like this did. Even as he looked around for a way to end his pain, Cole knew it was pointless. Ever since the creature had regenerated, it avoided him like the plague. It was so afraid of him it would never absorb him, no matter what he did. Cole realized with horror that he could not die, that he would spend eternity with this pain, and that it would never go away. He had sacrificed everything for Phoebe, including any chance for peace. The tears he had been holding back started to come forth, and he began to weep.  
  
"Father"  
  
Cole looked up in astonishment to see an orb floating near him. How had it gotten here, and what was it?  
  
"What are you?"  
  
The orb seemed to hesitate, and then it said, "We don't have time for this, Father. I can't have my presence outside of Mom for long, and I need to tell you something." Even as it said it, the orb began to slowly fade.  
  
Cole's heart skipped a beat when he realized who this was. "Son?"  
  
The orb seemed to nod, and then it said, "No matter what she said to you, know that I love you Father, and that I accept you for who you are. All I want is for you to be with me, and to be my Father. Will you do that?"  
  
Cole felt the tears stop as joy encompassed him. Someone loved him, and wanted him! He wasn't alone in the universe. Suddenly, that joy came crashing down as he realized something. "I can't be your Father, son. I am trapped here. No matter what I do I cannot escape. No matter how many powers I absorb, they can't get around the fact that I am dead."  
  
The orb looked at Cole for a moment, and then it said, "In one hour, come to the manor."  
  
"What, why?" Cole asked, but it was too late. The orb was gone. Cole looked around, but the orb had already left. Apparently, his son's time was up. Cole wasn't sure what was going on, but he would trust his son. The one person in the universe he knew loved him.  
  
***  
  
As Phoebe entered the manor, she found Paige sitting on the living room couch reading the Book of Shadows. "Hey sis, what's up?"  
  
Paige didn't look up as she said, "I'm looking for some way to deal with Ezekiel."  
  
"Any luck?" Phoebe asked curiously as she collapsed in a chair.  
  
"There are several promising leads, but.that can wait." Paige said as she looked at Phoebe. "How did it go?"  
  
Phoebe smiled slightly, and then said, "I am officially Miss Halliwell again."  
  
Paige walked over and sat down next to Phoebe. Taking her into a hug, she said, "You did the right thing Phoebe."  
  
"Thanks Paige." Just as Phoebe leaned into the hug, Cole shimmered in.  
  
"Cole, what the Hell are you doing here? She isn't your wife anymore." Paige demanded as she got up.  
  
"Someone asked me to come here." Cole said.  
  
"Yeah, right. And who exactly asked you? Phoebe?" Paige asked sarcastically.  
  
"I did."  
  
Spinning around, Paige saw that Phoebe's eyes had started to glow, and then she realized who she was speaking to. "Um, okay. Why would you do that Nephew?"  
  
"Because there is something I have to do, something only I can do." Phoebe's son responded gravely. Standing up suddenly, he said, "Paige, could you go get me some candles?"  
  
"Uh, sure. I guess so. I'll be right back." Paige said as she started up the stairs.  
  
Cole looked at Phoebe for a second, and then asked, "What are the candles for?"  
  
"Nothing, I just wanted her out of the way, so she couldn't prevent what I'm going to do. Are you ready?" Phoebe's son asked.  
  
"Ready for what?" Cole asked in confusion.  
  
"For rebirth." Phoebe's son said. She then walked forward and slammed her hands against Cole's face. ***  
  
"Well, it looks like everything is in order." Piper declared.  
  
"Good," Leo said, "Now, can we get back to the manor? I want to check on."  
  
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked, for Leo's face had suddenly gone very pale.  
  
"Oh my God." Leo said, and Piper realized he was receiving some kind of message from the Elders. She could always tell because of that annoying light. Leo reached out and grabbed Piper. "We are heading back to the manor NOW!" Then they were gone. *** When they arrived, Piper and Leo were greeted by a sight that shocked them to their cores. Phoebe had her hands on Cole, and Cole was screaming like someone was ripping his arms off slowly. Both were glowing brightly, and as Piper and Leo watched, a small black orb left Cole. It floated for a second, and then it seemed to pop.  
  
Piper turned to Paige, who was staring at the scene, and said, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"  
  
Paige looked at Piper, and then said, "I don't have a clue. Cole showed up saying someone asked him to be here. Phoebe's son said he had, and then asked me to go get some candles. When I came back down, they were like this." Paige turned towards Leo and asked, "Do you have any idea what is going on?"  
  
Leo made no answer to her question. Instead he shouted, "Please give it up! Not even you have the power to do this!" But, if they heard him, they made no response. The ground began to shake, and the light intensified. Phoebe and Cole began to glow so bright that you could barely look upon them, and could only see the vaguest of outlines. Cracks began to appear in the walls and ceilings, and Piper and Paige felt their hands standing on end as the sheer power of whatever was going on washed over them.  
  
Suddenly, one of the forms turned towards Piper, and said in a voice that sounded exhausted. "Help me, PLEASE!" Before Piper could even respond to Phoebe's son's plea, she felt the child within her trying to exert itself. She could feel it begging her to let it help.  
  
Why Piper asked. If I don't it responded then Phoebe's son will die. Piper immediately let go of all her holds on her body, and let her child take control.  
  
Paige was watching the entire spectacle with amazement when suddenly she saw Piper walking towards the two. "Piper, what are you doing?" she demanded. As Piper turned around, Paige realized that Piper wasn't in control anymore. Piper's child moved into the light, and placed Piper's right hand on Phoebe's right shoulder.  
  
The light, which had already been bright, began to become even brighter. Paige and Leo averted their eyes, unable to watch. Without warning, a bell sounded. It wasn't a normal bell, for it reverberated in the room and in Paige's mind. As if the bell was some kind of signal, the light died. Cole fell to his knees, and Piper and Phoebe fell back.  
  
Cole was shaking as he said, "Wha.What happened?"  
  
Phoebe seemed to smile, and then Phoebe's son said, "I told you. Rebirth." Then, the glow left Phoebe's eyes, and she collapsed.  
  
As Cole began to stand, he realized with surprise that he no longer felt any of his willpower going to keep him in this realm. He turned to Piper, Paige, and Leo and said, "Could someone please explain that a little better?" Piper's eyes returned to normal, and then she said, "Why do I feel so tired? What happened. Leo?"  
  
Leo looked at Cole for a second, and then asked, "How do you feel Cole?"  
  
Cole said, "I feel like I have been shattered and then reassembled. What happened? Why do I no longer feel a pull to go back to the Wasteland?"  
  
Leo looked at Cole for a moment, and then he looked down at Piper. "Do you remember anything?"  
  
"No. All I could feel was power leaving me and entering Phoebe. What happened to Cole? Come on, tell us."  
  
Leo turned back to Cole, and said, "Cole, you don't feel a pull towards the Wasteland anymore for one very good reason."  
  
"You're no longer dead."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	5. Part 5

Degrees of Evil Part 5  
  
"Say what?" Cole asked in surprise.  
  
"You're no longer dead." Leo replied.  
  
"But, that's impossible. No one can bring me back as a demon. Only the Grimoire had the spell, and you destroyed it."  
  
"I didn't say you're a demon only that you are back." Leo said.  
  
Piper and Paige looked at Leo and said, "What do you mean?"  
  
Leo looked at Piper and Paige for a second, and then said, "Cole is a human.no, more than that. Piper, freeze him." Piper gestured at Cole, but nothing happened.  
  
Cole looked at Piper in confusion, and then said, "Why aren't I frozen?"  
  
"Because Piper's powers don't work on good witches." Leo replied. "If you'll excuse me." Leo then turned and walked towards the kitchen. Piper looked at Paige and Cole, and then said, "Figure this out, I'll be right back." She then walked after Leo.  
  
As Cole began to shakily get to his feet, Paige walked over and put an arm under him. "Let me give you a hand. You don't to be too steady right now." As Paige helped Cole sit in a couch, she asked, "So, any idea what your powers are now?"  
  
Cole looked at her in confusion, and said, "What?"  
  
"Well, Leo did say you are a good witch now, however that happened, which means you have powers. So, do you have any idea what your power or powers might be?"  
  
Cole put his hands on his head, and said, "I don't have a clue what was done to me, much less what it means. So, to answer your question, I don't have a clue."  
  
As Paige walked over to Phoebe and made her more comfortable, she said, "Too bad."  
  
***  
  
As Piper walked into the kitchen, she found Leo staring out the window. She walked forward and put her arms around him. "I'm surprised you didn't orb out."  
  
"I'm trying to put off giving my report as long as I can, to avoid." Leo began, but then he stopped.  
  
"To avoid what? Come on, Leo, I'm your wife. Tell me what's wrong." Piper said anxiously.  
  
Leo turned towards Piper, and said gravely, "What our child and nephew did today will have ramifications beyond my comprehension. They broke the boundaries of good and evil, demon and witch, AND life and death. I cannot even imagine what the Elders are going to say about this, much less what they'll do."  
  
"LEO! PIPER! Get in here." They heard Paige shout.  
  
Piper and Leo looked at each other, and then they ran for the living room. ***  
  
When they arrived, they found that Phoebe had regained consciousness, and was leaning against the sofa. That wasn't why Paige had called though. Standing in the middle of the room was a figure. Piper wasn't sure if it was man or woman, because it wore a concealing gray robe with a hood over his face. In his hand he held a wooden staff with a purple crystal. Leo took one look at him and said, "No."  
  
The figure turned towards the sisters and said in a neutral tone, "Phoebe Halliwell, Piper, Halliwell, Paige Halliwell, Leo Wyatt, and Cole Turner. You have been summoned to stand before the Tribunal as witnesses."  
  
"Witnesses to what?" Piper asked.  
  
"To the crimes of the unborn children of Piper and Phoebe Halliwell. If you will follow me?"  
  
Paige turned to Piper and asked, "What do you we do?"  
  
"Follow him," Leo interrupted. They all turned to Leo as he continued. "This isn't something you can fight. The Tribunal is beyond your powers. We have to go."  
  
The sisters looked at each other anxiously, and then they said, "Very well."  
  
The figure made no motions, but the room dissolved, the sisters, Cole, and Leo found themselves standing in a judicial chamber. Cole and Phoebe promptly fell to the ground, too weak to stand on their own. Paige looked around and said, "Where are we?"  
  
"You are in the high chamber of the Tribunal." A new voice said. Paige and Piper looked around and saw a figure approaching them. He was about 5'5 with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a suit and carried a briefcase in his right hand. All in all, he looked like a lawyer.  
  
"Hello, my name is Azariel, and I will be representing you in this matter." He then looked at Cole and Phoebe, and he said, "That won't do." He gestured, and Cole and Phoebe felt strength flow into them. Within seconds, they felt like normal and stood up. "That's better," Azariel continued, "Now then, does everyone understand what is going on?"  
  
"Not a clue" Paige said, and everyone else winced at her bluntness. But Azariel wasn't swayed as he said, "An honest answer, that's good. Now then, you have been brought before the Tribunal, who will judge the case. They were going to be here now, but they wanted to wait until I had explained what was going on."  
  
"What exactly is the case?" Piper asked.  
  
Azariel turned to Piper and said, "Your children are guilty of violating the Accords of Creation. They brought someone who was supposed to stay dead back to life, and they made him a witch, a right reserved by treaty to the Elders."  
  
"How exactly were they supposed to know about these Accords?" Cole asked. "I mean, they aren't even born."  
  
"That makes no difference," Azariel said gravely, "The Accords are told to anyone who even remotely may have the power to do such a thing. It is known since Creation. Your children knew about it, they just chose to ignore it."  
  
"Assuming they are found guilty, what is the punishment?" Leo asked. "I've never been this high, so I have no idea." He explained to the sisters.  
  
Azariel looked at them gravely for a moment, and then he said, "If they are found guilty, they will be erased from existence. They will simply cease to be."  
  
Piper's face went ashen as she said, "How could anyone good do that to a person?"  
  
"The Tribunal is neither good nor evil. The just are. They try all cases that have to do with such important matters, whether the person is good or evil. And they are completely impartial."  
  
"So, what do you want us to say when we take the stand?" Paige asked. When Azariel looked at her in confusion, she continued, "The person who brought us here said we were witnesses. So, what do you want us to say on the stand?"  
  
Azariel smiled, and said, "I see what the confusion is. First of all, if you did take the stand, you would be compelled by magic to tell the truth. You see that sigil?" Azariel said, pointing towards a sigil inscribed in front of the Tribunal's stands. "When a person stands on that, they cannot lie. Secondly, you won't take the stand. That's not how things work here."  
  
"So, what will happen?" Paige asked.  
  
"They'll bring forth the accused and question them, and then ask for any evidence of mitigating circumstances. Then it's my job to convince them there were, which may help to keep your children alive. And that's it. Trials are much simpler here than in your realm." Suddenly, a gong sounded three times, and a neutral voice said, "All rise for the Tribunals."  
  
As everyone scurried to their feet, three elderly beings walked in, covered by long black robes. They sat down at their stands, and then intoned, "Be seated."  
  
Azariel shot to his feet and said, "Before we begin, I move for a mistrial. There is not adequate representation of both sides."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Without moving his lips, Azariel said, "By law, the leader of both good and evil must be present as silent observers at all trials at this level. While the High Elder is here, there is no Source. I'm not sure what they'll do, since that has never happened before. We'll have to wait and see."  
  
Meanwhile, the Elders were conferring among themselves. Finally, one of them said, "We concede the point, and it is our ruling that the most powerful remaining evil being be brought here for the trial." With that, he waved his hands and two beings appeared. They bowed, and then disappeared.  
  
"What's going on?" Piper asked.  
  
"They've sent agents out to bring the strongest evil here to watch. It's just a matter of time till they bring him back."  
  
A few seconds later, the two agents reappeared and said, "He'll be here in a second." The doors to the courtroom opened quickly, and Ezekiel walked in!  
  
"Ezekiel!" Cole said, automatically attempting to form an energy ball. When nothing emerged, he scowled.  
  
"Calm down, Mr. Turner." Azariel said, "This demon cannot do anything here. He is here to watch only. If he does anything, he will be unmade."  
  
Ezekiel smiled, said, "Nice to see everyone again," and then moved to sit in the place of the Source, next to the High Elder.  
  
The lead Tribunal looked at the sisters, and then said, "Bring forth the first accused." Suddenly, Phoebe felt a peculiar feeling in her abdomen. Looking out, she watched in shock as her son materialized on the sigil, in the form he showed to them before. He turned to Phoebe and said, "Hello again mother."  
  
"Let us commence questioning." The right Tribunal said.  
  
"Before we begin, I would like to take full responsibility for the crime." Phoebe's son said.  
  
"On what grounds?" The lead Tribunal asked.  
  
"My cousin is not strong enough to know of the Accords of Creation," Phoebe's son said, "my cousin doesn't have the power to do what I did. All my cousin did was provide a little power to help me out, without understanding what was going on."  
  
The Tribunals conferred for a few moments, and then said, "Point accepted."  
  
Azariel turned to Piper and said, "Congratulations, he just saved your child. Now, only he will be erased if convicted."  
  
"That doesn't feel like much right now." Piper said.  
  
"Let us proceed with the questioning," the lead Tribunal began. "Do you know of the Accords of Creation?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Did you know that you were breaking those Accords when you brought one Cole Turner back from the dead," the left Tribunal said.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Were you aware of the punishment you would face as a result of your actions," the Tribunal on the right asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why did you do it?" The lead Tribunal questioned.  
  
"Because in my judgment, it had to be done. My father had paid enough for his birth, and deserved a second chance." Phoebe's son stated.  
  
"That will be all," the Tribunal on the left said. He then turned to Azariel and asked, "Counselor, are there any mitigating circumstances that you wish the court to know of?"  
  
"Your honors, I only wish for the court to take into consideration the age of the accused, and what that would mean in terms of judgment." Azariel responded.  
  
"Very well, we shall confer," the Lead Tribunal said, and then the Tribunals leaned in and began to whisper.  
  
"I think we've won." Azariel whispered.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Because he is so young, his judgment would be flawed when it comes to matters like this. I am sure the Tribunals will forgive him."  
  
A few seconds later, the Tribunals resumed their positions, "It is the position of this court," the Lead Tribunal stated, "That the son of Phoebe Halliwell and Cole Turner did not understand the ramifications of his actions. Therefore, he will be forgiven if he undoes what he did."  
  
"Yes!" Azariel said, "Congratulations, you've won!"  
  
As the sisters broke out into grins, they heard someone say, "No."  
  
"What?" the tribunals asked.  
  
"I said I will not undo what I have done," Phoebe's son said, "To do so would be a death sentence for my father. I love him, and would do anything to protect him. If this is what is required for me to save my father, than so be it."  
  
"You do realize what that means?" the lead Tribunal asked.  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"Then I am afraid we have no choice but to find you."  
  
"Your honors, if I may address the court?" Cole said suddenly. He had been sitting with a torn expression on his face. Phoebe turned to him and said, "What are you doing?" "Everything I can to save my son." Cole responded as he stood up.  
  
"Your honors, my son is not responsible for his actions. I am." Cole stated.  
  
As the courtroom stared at him in shock, the lead Tribunals said, "I fail to see how this is your fault. You do not have the powers to do such a thing. Only your son does, and it was his choice."  
  
"No, it wasn't." Cole said, "I used the link between myself and my son to cast a spell on him, a spell that would make him do what he did, and would make him feel that it was his choice. He didn't do it, I made him do it."  
  
"You EVIL BASTARD!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"Azariel, keep your client under control. Mr. Turner, how do we know that you are capable of such an act of evil?" The Tribunal on the left said.  
  
"Look at my record. I would do anything if it would help me." Cole said.  
  
The Tribunals conferred among themselves, and then said, "If this is true, than you will be erased for your crime."  
  
"It is." Cole said gravely.  
  
"Well, we must make sure." The Lead Tribunal waved, and suddenly Cole replaced his son on the sigil. "Do you swear that everything you have just told us is the truth?"  
  
As the sisters watched, Cole's face went tense as it appeared he was struggling to do something. "Y.Ye.No." Cole finally stammered. His face fell as he realized he had failed.  
  
"Why did you lie?" the lead Tribunal asked.  
  
"I would do anything to save my son." Cole said. "I figured you would believe me if I said that, based on my record. Better that I die then my son."  
  
"Your devotion to your son is admirable, but not relevant. We shall now discuss the case." The lead Tribunal said.  
  
"Wait." A voice said, a voice that reverberated throughout the room. As the sisters watched, 8 figures appeared in the center of the room. They varied in size and shape, and each had a skintight glow around them. They heard Leo gasp, and then felt the sheer presence these people emitted. "Leo, who are they?" Piper asked, "Leo." She said, and turned towards him. To her shock, Leo was kneeling in a position one would reserve for Kings in the medieval times. Looking around, she realized that everyone save themselves and the Tribunals were kneeling. "Who are these guys?" Paige asked.  
  
"They're called the Guardians." Azariel whispered. "You should feel honored that you have seen them. Only the High Elder has ever seen them, and even then it was only once. They are beyond your comprehension, and are near the top of the side of Good. I don't know what they're doing here though. They've never come to a trial before."  
  
One of the Guardians stepped forward and said, "You're honors, we would like to speak with you in private." His voice had a echoing quality, and he had a black glow.  
  
"That's Mortano, the Guardian of Death," Azariel whispered. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I think it will be alright."  
  
The Guardians and The Tribunals left the room for a few minutes, and then came back in. The Tribunals seemed to be disturbed by whatever was said. It could be seen in their walk. They walked forward and said, "Based on new evidence, we find the accused not guilty. He is free to go."  
  
Phoebe broke into tears, and walked over to the Guardians. "I don't know why you intervened, but thank you."  
  
Several of the Guardians smiled, and then Mortanos said, "We had our own reasons for intervening, but we thank you for your praise." Then they were gone.  
  
Phoebe's son turned towards Cole, and said, "Thank you Father. I love you."  
  
"I love you too son." Cole said. Phoebe's son smiled, and then he faded.  
  
"Hey, Leo, how bout you get off your ass and orb us home?" Piper said. Leo stood up with an embarrassed smile on his face, and held out his hands. Everyone grabbed hold, and then Leo orbed out with all of them.  
  
Soon, the entire room was empty save for Ezekiel. Ezekiel looked around, and said, "Well, that was an interesting case. While it didn't turn out like I thought it would, it was very enlightening." Ezekiel turned towards where the sisters had been. "Enjoy your peace, my vessel. Enjoy it while it lasts. Your days of good are numbered, for I now know your weakness." With a laugh, Ezekiel disappeared.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	6. Part 6

Degrees of Evil Part 6  
  
In a swirl of orbs, the Charmed Ones appeared back in the manor. Paige looked around, and asked. "So, how long were we gone THIS time?"  
  
"About .3 seconds," Leo replied. "The court exists in a parallel world, where time flows differently." As he looks out the window, Leo continues, "It's getting pretty late, so I think we should get some sleep. It has been a long day, and I for one could use some sleep."  
  
As the Charmed Ones began to head upstairs, Cole looked around uncomfortably. "Well, I guess I'll leave."  
  
"Cole, wait." Phoebe said as Cole began to head back to the door. "I think you should stay here tonight."  
  
Cole looked at her, with hope beginning to blossom to show in his eyes. "Why?"  
  
Phoebe looked slightly uncomfortable as she said, "Well, you don't know what powers you have, so you should stay here until you can figure out how to defend yourself. Ezekiel is still out there after all."  
  
"Is that the only reason?"  
  
"Well, what other reason would there be?" Phoebe asked. The hope in Cole's eyes died, and his voice took on a flat tone as he said, "I.I guess I'll sleep on the couch."  
  
"That would be best, Cole." Piper chimed in.  
  
Cole sighed, and said, "Alright." As Cole headed towards the couch, the others headed upstairs for the evening. *** "Bring him in." Ezekiel said.  
  
Gaza nodded, and waved his tail. A chameleon demon appeared in front of Ezekiel. He looked around in confusion and shouted, "Who dares to summon Kiras, the scourge of the Underworld!"  
  
Ezekiel laughed. "You, a scourge? My, my, evil really has gone downhill since my day."  
  
"HOW DARE YOU! Take this!" Kiras shouted as he threw an energy ball at Ezekiel. It hit him, but Ezekiel was unaffected. Ezekiel looked down, and then said, "I'm sorry, was that supposed to hurt?" As a look of fear came over the demon, Ezekiel said, "Relax, I'm not going to kill you. Well, as long as you stop wasting my time. Sit."  
  
The demon fell over in his haste to do what was said. "Well, that was easy." Ezekiel commented. "Alright, here's the deal, I need you to attack someone in my form. If you do this, without EVER leaving my form, I'll give you enough power to back up that threat, oh Scourge."  
  
"And if I fail?" the demon asked?  
  
"If you fail, or if you don't kill him, I will make you wish I had vanquished you. Now, do we have a deal?" Ezekiel asked.  
  
"Yes we do." Kiras responded..  
  
"Excellent. Follow my servant to find out the details, I have other matters to attend to." As the demon turned towards Gaza, Gaza said, "Your target is a man named James Michaels."  
  
Ezekiel smiled, and then he returned to the pool. He looked at it for a moment, and then the water showed Phoebe sleeping. "Well, my vessel, I have made my first move. It shall be an interesting game." ***  
  
Morning came quickly to the Halliwell house. Piper and Leo slept in late, but Paige was up with the sun. She had been really close to finding a way to deal with Ezekiel, and she wanted to keep working on it. She went up to the attic, and brought the Book of Shadows downstairs. When she came down, she saw Cole, dozing on the chair. He really doesn't look that dangerous Paige thought. If I didn't know better, you'd almost swear he was normal.  
  
As she passed by Cole, he sat up straight on the couch and moved his hand up in the motion she recognized would have summoned an energy ball. He looked down, embarrassed, and then said, "Sorry, old habit. What are you up to?"  
  
"I'm trying to figure out a way to get rid of Ezekiel. Even though you said it's hopeless, I think I'm getting close."  
  
"Really," Cole said in surprise. "What are you thinking?"  
  
"Well," Paige said, "I know you said we couldn't vanquish him, but do we really have to?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Cole asked.  
  
"Well, I was looking through the Book of Shadows and I found a spell to banish someone to another dimension, and I was thinking we could banish Ezekiel to a dimension. Only problem is, he can just shimmer out." Paige said.  
  
Cole looked thoughtfully, and then he said, "Maybe not."  
  
Just then, Phoebe came downstairs, "I'm later for work, talk to you later." With that, she was out the door.  
  
"Let's put our heads together Paige. I think you may be on to something." ***  
  
As Phoebe worked her way through the vast pile of letters, she sighed. Sometimes, it seemed like this was an uphill battle. She would write 1 letter, and 2 would come in. Almost if summoned, the delivery man came in with even more letters. "Hello Phoebe, more letters for you."  
  
"Thanks James, do you need my signature."  
  
"Yeah sure, here." James said as he threw Phoebe a Pen. When Phoebe caught it, a premonition hit her. She saw James walking, and then Ezekiel orbed in. He proceeded to attack and kill him. When she came out of it, James was leaning over. "Are you alright Phoebe?"  
  
"Huh, yeah, I'm fine. Listen, can you wait here for a minute?" Phoebe asked anxiously.  
  
"Yeah, sure, I guess my schedule won't be messed up too much by one more minute." James said with a smile.  
  
Phoebe walked out, and grabbed her cell phone. ***  
  
As Piper came down the stairs, she heard Paige on the phone. "Are you sure it was him? Alright, we'll be right there. PIPER!" Paige said as she put down the phone. Then noticing she was right there, Paige walked up. "We have to go to Phoebe's work, now. She just had a premonition that Ezekiel is going to attack someone there."  
  
"Then let's go." Cole said. Piper and Phoebe looked at each other, and then Piper said, "Cole, you need to stay here."  
  
"What, but."  
  
"Cole, you are no longer sure what your powers are, and we can't take the chance that you will be killed in the fight. Let's go Paige."  
  
"Wait" Cole began, but he was too late. Paige and Piper disappeared in a swirl of lights. ***  
  
As Paige and Piper appeared in the bathroom in a swirl of blue lights, they heard Phoebe talking to someone outside. "Alright James, thanks for sticking around. Let me go ahead and sign for these packages." Paige and Piper walked out of the bathroom, and Phoebe's face showed her relief. As James walked out the door, Phoebe gestures towards him and mouthed innocent. They nodded, and then the sisters followed James out the door.  
  
When the Charmed Ones got out, they saw James heading towards his truck. "Get ready guys, Ezekiel going to appear in that alley." Piper and Paige nodded, and then they ran after James just as he was heading down the alley with another package in his hands.  
  
Looking out, they saw Ezekiel standing over James about to put his right hand on his forehead. Phoebe said, "Quick, freeze James so we can help." Piper gesture, and the whole place froze. "Alright Ezekiel, let's get.wait, why is he FROZEN!" Paige asked.  
  
"I.I don't know." Piper said.  
  
"Unfreeze only him," Phoebe said, "Something is very wrong here." Piper gestured, and Ezekiel unfroze.  
  
"Alright, buddy, talk fast or I'll destroy you for sure." Piper warned.  
  
The demon looked nervous, and then he said, "DIE!" and threw and energy ball at them. Paige yelled "ENERGY BALL!" and redirected the energy ball back at Ezekiel. It hit him, and he burst into flames. After the flames died, Paige asked, "Why was that so easy?"  
  
"That wasn't Ezekiel," Piper said suddenly, "It couldn't have been. My powers have never worked on him before."  
  
"No, wait, I saw Ezekiel here attacking James," Phoebe said.  
  
"Are you sure, or did you just see a demon that looked like Ezekiel?"  
  
Phoebe's face went ashen, and then she said, "But why do this? What is the point."  
  
"He wanted to draw us away." Piper offered.  
  
"Yeah, but away from what? The manor? The only thing there is a Book he can't touch and." Paige began. All three sisters looked at each other, and said at the same time.  
  
"COLE!" ***  
  
Cole paced back and forth in the manor, desperately wishing Piper and Paige would get back. He hated not knowing what his powers were, and he hated this feeling of helplessness. While he loved being alive, he wished his son would have provided him with some indication of what his power was.  
  
"Hello again Cole."  
  
Cole spun around to see Ezekiel shimmer in. "Ezekiel."  
  
"Long time no see, Cole. I think you know why I'm here, so why don't we cut to the chase."  
  
Cole was slowing backing towards the table, and he said, "I may not have my demonic powers, but I won't go down without a fight."  
  
Ezekiel smiled. "What exactly were you planning on doing Cole? You might as well be mortal, since you have no clue how to work your power. Give it up, and at least die with dignity."  
  
"Well, I was thinking about doing something like.THIS!" Cole shouted as he threw the contents of the table at Ezekiel. The table slammed into Ezekiel, and shattered on impact. Ezekiel looked down, and said, "Is that the best you've got?"  
  
Cole ran forward and delivered a punch-kick combination against Ezekiel body, but he was unfazed. As Cole looked into Ezekiel's eyes, he knew what was coming next. He didn't even see the hand coming.  
  
***  
  
As the three sisters orbed in, they saw Ezekiel lift his hand off of Cole's forehead, and Cole fall to the ground in a coma. "Cole," Phoebe said. Piper gestured, but nothing happened. "This is definitely the real one."  
  
Ezekiel looked at them, and said, "Keep your children in check, I don't want a fight. Come near me and Cole is a goner."  
  
"Cole's already dead."  
  
"Not yet," Ezekiel said, "I haven't used his essence yet, and I would be willing to do so under one condition."  
  
"And what condition is that?" Paige asked.  
  
"Phoebe meets me at a location in 2 hours. Bring Cole's body, and don't be late. Any longer, and you will be too late."  
  
"Where are we meeting?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Ezekiel stared at her for a moment, and Phoebe felt an image of a place appear in her mind. "There." Then he was gone.  
  
Piper looked at Paige and Phoebe and asked, "What are we going to do?"  
  
Phoebe bent over Cole and lovingly touched his cheek. "We're going to have to meet him."  
  
"But you know it's a trap." Paige said.  
  
"Yes, I do. But we don't have a choice. Look, you said you had a vanquish for him, right?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Well, in theory.but I'm not sure it'll work." Paige said uncomfortably.  
  
"We don't have a choice. We'll go meet him with that up our sleeve, and then we'll use it when he's given us back Cole."  
  
"You do realize how dangerous that is Phoebe?" Piper asked.  
  
"We don't have a choice Piper. Let's get ready." ***  
  
"Are you sure about this master?" Gaza said. "This is very dangerous to let them in here. No one else knows where this chamber is."  
  
"Trust me my servant. I know what I'm doing." Ezekiel said. "Everything is going according to plan."  
  
Just then, the three sisters orbed in with Leo and Cole's body. Ezekiel frowned, and he said, "Leo leaves now, or the deal is off." Piper looked at Leo, and nodded. Leo frowned, but then he orbed out.  
  
"Excellent. Now then, Phoebe, I have no desire to talk to you. Please, let your son take control."  
  
Phoebe's eyes began to glow, and then Phoebe's son asked, "This was bold Ezekiel, you will regret this."  
  
"I highly doubt that. Now then." Ezekiel said, and then he began to speak rapidly in another language. Phoebe's son hesitated, and then he responded. Piper looked at Paige, and then asked, "Demonese?"  
  
Ezekiel and Pheobe's son talked rapidly for a couple of minutes, and then they stopped. Phoebe's face took on a look of sadness, but she finally nodded.  
  
Ezekiel smiled, and said, "See, that wasn't too hard? You were sloppy, and now I've won. Shall we commence?"  
  
The glow around Phoebe intensified, and then suddenly Phoebe's son was before Phoebe. The glow left Phoebe's eyes, and she said, "What are you doing?"  
  
Phoebe's son looked back at Phoebe, and there was a sad look in her eyes. "What I have to do to save my father." Without another word, Phoebe's son walked over to the door. Ezekiel waved, and the door opened. Without a backward glance, Phoebe's son entered the room, and the door slammed shut behind him.  
  
"SON!" Phoebe shouted, and started to move towards the room. Ezekiel gestured, and she went flying and hit the wall. Ropes came out of the wall and wrapped themselves around her arms, legs, and mouth. She was effectively bound and gagged.  
  
"No interference from the peanut gallery." Ezekiel said. "I know you wouldn't have come here without some pathetic spell in mind, but it won't work if all three of you don't chant, will it?" A dark smile crossed his lips as the sisters stared in shock. "Which reminds me." He gestured, and hands erupted from the ground. They grabbed on Piper and Paige's legs, effectively stopping them.  
  
Ezekiel then looked down at Cole's body, and said, "A deal's a deal." He held out his right hand, and a beam left his hand and hit Cole's body. Cole jerked, and then he was conscious. "Wha.where am I?" Cole asked in confusion. Ezekiel waved, and more hands came out of the ground and grabbed Cole. "Now then, you are here to provide witness to the most spectacular event in the history of the world. GAZA!"  
  
Gaza materialized, and then said, "Yes, master?"  
  
"You've been a good servant, and I will miss you. But, my purpose is complete, it is time to fulfill my function." Ezekiel turned towards the Chamber, and began to chant. With each word, he began to emit a black light.  
  
"We've got to stop him." Paige said.  
  
"I'm trying to move, but I can't. And we all saw how effective my powers are against him. So, try orbing." Piper said.  
  
"I've been trying. I'm trapped. We've got to.oh no. We're too late." Paige said. At that moment, the chanting stopped. With a burst of light, Ezekiel was gone. As the light hit the Chamber's door, runes and sigils began to glow on the door. As more sigils increased, the ground began to shake. The hands and tendrils holding the sisters and Cole faded, and they were able to get up.  
  
"SON!" Cole shouted, and ran towards the door. Before he got within 5 feet of it, he was repelled by some invisible force, and was flung back towards the sisters. He landed heavily, and said, "Well, that didn't work."  
  
"PIPER!" Phoebe said, and Piper gestured. The shield flexed, but didn't budge. "AGAIN!"."AGAIN!"."AGAIN!" Phoebe kept shouting. Finally, Piper stopped and said, "I'm sorry Phoebe, It's not working."  
  
"Well, we have to do SOMETHING!"  
  
"All we can do is wait, and hope." ***  
  
All across the globe and the underworld, tremors erupted and subsided within a matter of minutes. No geologist could explain it, and it went down as a freak of nature. Only those with magical talent could feel the great magic that was happening below their feet. *** Minutes, hours, or days later, the shaking finally stopped, and the runes stopped glowing. Time seemed to standstill for those at the Chamber, for they all waited to see what emerged from the door.  
  
Phoebe clutched her stomach, and then she said, "I can't feel him. My son is no longer in my stomach. Even when he was before me, I could still feel him. He's gone."  
  
The Chamber door suddenly opened, and Phoebe's son was standing in the center. His eyes were closed, and he still wore the body of a 3 year old. As they approached him, Phoebe asked, "Son? Son, are you okay?"  
  
Meanwhile, Gaza had approached as well, and he said, "Master?"  
  
Slowly, Phoebe's son's eyes opened, and they found themselves staring into pure darkness. It went beyond the black eyes of the Source, so far beyond that the Charmed Ones could almost feel their souls being pulled out as they looked. They quickly averted their eyes. Meanwhile, Phoebe's son looked down at Gaza, who was shuffling his feet nervously. A smirk touched his lips, and then Gaza erupted into flames. He then shifted his focus on the Charmed Ones. He then spoke a few words, and then he gestured. Without warning and without and feeling, the Charmed Ones found themselves back at the manor. Leo turned at their approach and asked anxiously, "How did it go, what happened?"  
  
No on spoke for a few seconds, and then Piper said, "Things just got worse. Much worse."  
  
Phoebe just collapsed on her knees, as she heard over and over the words her son said to her.  
  
"I am the Source. Good has 24 hours to surrender, or I will kill you all."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	7. Part 7

Degrees of Evil Part 7  
  
After filling Leo in on what happened, he decided to orb up to tell the Elders what was going on, and ask for advice. The Charmed Ones and Cole sat down and stared at each other for a few moments, until finally Paige asked the question, "So, what are we going to do?"  
  
Piper responded quietly, "Whatever we have to do?"  
  
"What do you mean? You want to vanquish my SON!" Cole shouted.  
  
"Cole, I don't see a choice. We don't have a clue what happened to him in that Chamber, nor even the remotest idea how to reverse it. Even if we had time, we couldn't prepare anything remotely possible in the amount of time we have. I don't see how we have a choice." Piper said gravely.  
  
"Oh, of course." Cole said sarcastically. "If this was your child, you'd move heaven and earth to save it, or one of your sisters. But save the spawn of a demon from evil? Never, of course he must have wanted it, and let it happen. I've heard enough." Cole got up, and walked out of the room in disgust.  
  
Paige turned to Phoebe and asked, "What do you think?"  
  
Phoebe stared at the ground for a moment longer, and then said, "I don't want to, and wish there was another way. But, if it is the only option, I'll help."  
  
"Fine. That just raises the question, what can we do? I mean, we couldn't even handle Ezekiel, Phoebe's son was the only one who could touch him. And now we have to deal with Phoebe's son who has gotten even stronger? I wouldn't know where to start." Paige said.  
  
"Well, we start with the vanquish we have for Ezekiel. Do you think it could work on Phoebe's son?" Piper asked gravely.  
  
"It might.," Paige began, "But he'd have to be holding still while we got it. You saw what happened when we tried it on Ezekiel, he preempted us. We'd need something pretty powerful to keep him trapped."  
  
"I think we can help with that." A new voice spoke. As the sisters looked around, eight shining figures of different colors appeared.  
  
"The Guardians! What are you doing here?" Paige exclaimed. Both Piper and Phoebe winced at her bluntness, but the Guardians didn't seem fazed. The light faded from them, and the sisters found themselves looking at 5 males and 3 females.  
  
"We are here to help." Mortanos said.  
  
"Not that we aren't grateful, but why are you helping us? Leo said you didn't ever involve yourself here." Phoebe said.  
  
Mortanos smiled, and said, "First of all, the new Source may have the power to erase the fabric of existence, and we cannot allow that. However, if you won't take that for an answer, let us just say we have a.personal stake in this event. Now then, I feel it is only fair to introduce ourselves. As you know, I am Mortanos, Guardian of Death."  
  
One of the women stepped forward, and said, "I am Fiona, Guardian of Fire."  
  
A shock, stocky man said, "I am Tempest, Guardian of Wind."  
  
A tall, thin woman then said, "I am Sierra, Guardian of Earth."  
  
An older man with a slight limp said, "I am Azar, Guardian of Spirit."  
  
The final woman stepped forward and said, "I am Undine, Guardian of Water."  
  
A man missing his right arm walked forward and said, "I am a Kazan, Guardian of Destiny."  
  
As the final man walked forward, leaning heavily on his cane, the sisters realized he was blind. "I am Moebi, Guardian of Time."  
  
Mortanos then took the lead and said, "We may be able to hold him long enough for you to cast your spell, but we couldn't handle anything else."  
  
"That should be more than enough, and thank you for your help." Piper said. Just then, Leo orbed back in. He took one look at the Guardians and fell into a bow. Fiona's face took on a look of irritation as she said, "Get up! I never could stand all that damn bowing when we entered a room." Leo got up with an embarrassed look on his face. Piper turned to him and said, "Focus, Leo. What did the Elders say?"  
  
Leo looked at Piper, and said, "They have decided to help. They are going to call up every witch and whitelighter for this battle. If the new Source wants to try and kill us all, then at least we'll all be together, and we'll go down fighting. They want us to fight at a field outside of town. It's remote, and it has good cover in case of projectiles."  
  
"I'm shocked, I never thought the Elder pacifists would make such an aggressive stance." Paige remaked.  
  
"They obviously feel we don't have a choice. Now, let's get ready." ***  
  
Cole could hear them arguing in the Living Room, and he heard the Guardians come in. He heard Leo's plan to fight a huge battle outside of town, and he sighed. Of all the people on the side of good, only he really understood what was going on. He never for a moment thought his Son wanted to be evil. His son, like his father before him, just lost the battle of wills against evil, and now it looks like he will pay the same price.  
  
Cole remembered the scene in the Chamber perfectly. He remembered the moment he came back from wherever he had been, and he remembered his son stepping out of the Chamber. But, where the others saw only evil in the void of his eyes, Cole could almost swear his son had still been there, and was begging for help. The others may have given up on him, but Cole would not. No matter what, he would save his son. ***  
  
"Is everyone ready?" Piper asked. It was the next day, and 1 hour until the appointed time. They had been working all night, and had brewed a couple of potions that may help them in the upcoming fight, just in case. The Guardians had left, saying they would meet them there, and Leo had also gone to pick up some of his charges. Phoebe looked down at what she had, and said, "As ready as we'll ever be."  
  
"Alright, Paige, orb us there." As Paige grabbed the sisters and prepared to orb them, Cole walked in and said, "I'm coming too."  
  
"You haven't exactly been the most supportive member of this plan, Cole. Are you sure about this?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Cole looked at her for a few seconds, and then said, "I don't like it at all, but I will not shy from a battle, no matter who I'm fighting. I will protect my family, no matter what." He then put his arm on Paige's shoulder.  
  
"Alright, let's go." Paige said, and then they were gone in a swirl of blue orbs. ***  
  
When the sisters and Cole arrived at the scene, they found that they were not the first ones there. There were close to 3 dozen people milling about, handing out potions and amulets. Paige looked around in confusion, and said, "We have the entire side of good with us and all we get is 3 dozen people?"  
  
"Unfortunately, most of our sisters and brothers are not strong enough to be of any use in the actual. However, many of them have helped by mixing potions and empowering artifacts." A new voice said. Looking behind them, the sisters saw a gangly girl of about 16 who had auburn hair and blue eyes. She handed each of them an amulet, and said, "Here you go, this is one of their gifts. It will protect you from demonic attacks." The Charmed Ones nodded, and said, "Thank you, and good luck." The witch nodded, and said, "Luck to us all." Then she left.  
  
Just then, Leo orbed in with another witch. Piper looked at him in shock when she saw what he was carrying. In his hands, Leo held two swords. He saw them, and smiled. "I thought you might come," Leo said to Cole, "so I brought you something to fight with. It's been enchanted to hurt demons, so it should work." Cole grabbed it and nodded. Leo then looked at Piper, who was staring in open mouthed astonishment. "You didn't think I'd sit this one out, did you honey? I will protect you and our child."  
  
Mortanos walked over and remarked, "Good day for a battle."  
  
Paige looked at him for a second, and said, "Yeah, I'd bet you'd be happy about a battle. More deaths."  
  
Mortanos looked sad for a moment, and then said, "I may be the Guardian of Death, but I do not relish death. It is a necessity; something I understand has to happen. Anyway, you and your sisters are going to take point. We've got about half an hour left, so now's the time to get into position."  
  
"Right," all three sisters said, and they then headed to the front of the 'army'.  
  
The waiting was the hardest part. As the time slowly ticked by, everyone's mind was on the upcoming battle, and what would happen. Everyone except Phoebe. Her mind kept wandering back to Cole. She looked deeply in herself, and wondered what her feeling towards him really were. He was standing right next to her, and she knew he was afraid. How could he not be? He didn't have any visible power that he knew how to control, and he was as mortal as they were. All he had to defend himself was a sword. But, he would not back down, she realized. He would stay here and die to protect her, if his death would make a difference. Realizing this, she looked at him and said, "Cole."  
  
When he looked back at her, she said simply, "The divorce was a mistake. I'm sorry." Cole's face broke out into a smile, and he said, "So am I. Hopefully, a mistake we can rectify when we get out of here."  
  
Suddenly, clouds began to from overhead, and darkness fell. "This is it." Piper whispered, and sure enough, three seconds later Phoebe's son appeared. He was alone, and appeared to be unarmed. He surveyed the crowd, and said, "Quite an audience for a surrender."  
  
"We'll never surrender to evil." Someone shouted in the crowd. Phoebe's son looked for a second, and then said, "So, this is some pathetic attempt to stop me? Very well, if you really want to die, I can handle that. But, I suppose I should at least make an effort to keep my presence hidden from the mortals, at least till I'm ready to enslave them." Phoebe's son turned towards the city, and shouted, "INVITOS DESMON!" A black wave left his body and traveled outward.  
  
"What did you do?" Paige demanded.  
  
"Everyone except for us within a 300 miles sphere is now asleep. I wouldn't want any of my future slaves getting curious and coming over here. Now then, shall we get started?" As the Source began to gesture, Cole ran out and shouted, "STOP!"  
  
Phoebe hissed at him, "Cole, what are you doing?" but Cole ignored her. He ran up to the Source, and said, "Son, don't do this. You're not evil, I know you're not." Since Cole was the only one near him, only he saw his son's eyes go back to normal for a moment, and only he heard, "Fa.father.sa.save.me." Then the eyes were back to normal, and he said in a disdainful voice, "Do not tell me what I am. I know perfectly well I am evil, an evil I got from you. Now, get out of my way, or I will destroy you."  
  
As Cole realized his son still existed, he turned within himself, seeking something, ANYTHING, he could say or do to save his son. Please, god Cole thought. I've lived in darkness my whole life, don't let my son follow me in. As Cole was digging, he felt something inside him change, and he suddenly realized what his power was. Hope rose within him, and he shouted, "I WILL SAVE YOU!" and dove at his son. His son stepped back, bracing himself for a collision. To everyone's amazement, Cole did not collide with the Source, he hit the Source and disappeared. The Source staggered back a few steps, and then shook his head.  
  
"I don't believe it." Leo muttered.  
  
"What, what happened?" Piper whispered.  
  
"Cole's power, its mindscaping."  
  
"What the hell is mindscaping?" Paige asked.  
  
"The ability to physically enter someone's mind," Leo explained. "It is exceptionally rare, and only one other witch has ever had it."  
  
The Source looked at Leo for a second, and then said, "Well, that was pointless. Oh, well. I guess it's time." The Source looked around for a moment, and then said, "You know, I really don't feel like taking you on alone. Let me even things up a bit." He raised his arms, and a column of black light burst from the ground around him. It shot straight up into the sky, and as the Charmed Ones watched, balls of black fire rained down on the field. None of them hit anywhere near the side of Good. Piper said, "Nice job with the deflection, whoever did it."  
  
When the light finally stopped, the Source smiled and said, "I wasn't trying to hit you. ARISE!" At that command, the balls of black fire coalesced into the forms of humans. They stood up, and opened their eyes. Paige gasped, for every one had eyes like the Source. The Source smiled and said, "That's a little better. Admittedly, they're only as strong as the previous Source, but they'll do." He then looked at the Charmed Ones, smiled, and said, "DEMONS, ATTACK!"  
  
***  
  
When Cole finally could see again, he found himself standing on a cliff overlooking a vast black sea. He looked around in confusion, and said, "Where am I?" Then, as he remembered what had happened, Cole looked around and said, "Is this my son's mind? Where is he?" Suddenly, Cole felt something grab his leg. He looked down, and realized the 'black sea' was really alive, and was coming after me. Cole yanked his foot free and jumped when another tentacle shot at him. To his surprise, he went up almost 50 feet, and stopped. As Cole glanced down, he smiled and said, "Much better." Then a light caught his eye, off in the distance. Cole squinted, trying to get a better look, and then decided to head there. Before he could even think about landing, he was flying towards the light. ***  
  
As the battle commenced, the Guardians leapt forward and attacked the Source head on. They unleashed their powers on him, but he was holding his own. Meanwhile, the sisters found themselves diving behind some cover as demons began launching fireballs at them. As they were ducking, Phoebe commented, "Isn't this fun?"  
  
"Not really." Piper said, and then gestured at one of the demons. He blew up, and then came back a few seconds later. "Well, that's just great." Paige said, and then redirected a fireball back towards a demon. The demon burst into flames, and then collapsed. "Well, at least that works."  
  
Looking around, Piper saw her husband take on a demon. He cut at him low, than followed with an overhead swing that vanquished the demon instantly. He then looked at Piper and smiled. Piper looked at her sisters, and said, "How are we supposed to banish him when we can't get close?"  
  
"We're going to have to make a run for it." Phoebe shouted. "Let's go!" With a run, she took off towards the Source. Within five feet, a demon took notice and fired at her. Phoebe dove over the fireball, rolled, and came up by the demon. She delivered a kick to the demon's gut, and then followed through with a punch to the demon's face. He went down.  
  
"You heard the insane one, let's do it!" Piper shouted, and then she and Paige took off after Phoebe. When they got within 20 feet of the Source, they watched as the Guardians hit him with everything they had. The Source was actually getting knocked back as he struggled to deal with so many threats. The Charmed Ones got ready to cast the spell, until they saw his face. Instead of looking worried or like he was struggling, the Source was smiling. "Why does that worry me?" Paige asked.  
  
The Source stopped falling back, and planted his feet. He looked around, and said, "Enough is enough." With a primal yell of rage, and Source held out his hands. Black lightning erupted from him and headed in every direction. The Guardians, who were too close to dodge, took a direct hit. They fell to the ground, senseless. Meanwhile, Piper, Paige and Phoebe saw the lightning coming and ducked behind a close rock. They felt it course over and around them for a few seconds, and then it was over. Just as they were about to get back up, everything went dark. ***  
  
When Piper came to, she realized she was on her back, and she had one hell of a headache. As she leveled herself up, she looked around and saw with shock that the rock they had been hiding behind was now a crater. As she continued her search, she also noticed that she was the only being of Good moving. Seeing her sister Paige nearby, Piper crawled over and tried to rouse her. No response. When she turned her over, Piper gasped. Paige's middle was gone, blown away by some sort of blast. As Piper desperately felt for a pulse, she realized Paige was gone.  
  
"Well, this was unexpected."  
  
When Piper turned around, the Source was standing there. No longer in his little boy form, the Source stood a full 12 feet, and was encased in shadow and darkness. He looked at Piper for a moment, and then said, "I did not realize your child could heal you from the womb. It was an oversight on my part."  
  
"You.you KILLED THEM ALL!" Piper screamed as she got to her feet.  
  
"Well, I missed you," the Source said with a smile. "A mistake I plan to fix right now."  
  
As the Source headed toward her, she felt a rage take over her. A voice inside her head said Gesture. Why Piper asked. I have altered your powers to give you a chance mom, now gesture!  
  
Piper quickly gestured, but the Source did not slow down. That didn't work! She thought back. Swing at him the voice responded. Piper took a swing at the Source, and was shocked beyond measure. She moved so fast her eyes couldn't follow. One moment her hand was at her side, the next it had connected squarely with the Source. The Source staggered back a few steps, and then said, "How did you do that?"  
  
"You killed my sisters, and I am taking you down." Piper yelled as she charged him. Within a few seconds, Piper had delivered over 30 blows, and the Source was knocked back. He fell to the ground with an expression of disbelief of his face. Piper said, "Take this!" and slammed her foot down. Unfortunately, the Source was gone by the time her foot made contact. Suddenly, she felt something slam into her back. For a second, she felt pain, and then she was fine again. Turning around, she saw the Source looking at her in annoyance. "Alright, this is getting old." He said, and gestured at her. Piper tried to step towards him, but something had her feet. Looking down, she saw that roots had come out of the ground and had grabbed her. She felt the Source push her, and then she fell to the ground. As she tried to get up, more roots appeared and grabbed her arms, stomach and neck. Within seconds, she was pinned.  
  
The Source looked at her and said, "All that speed doesn't do much when you can't move, does it? Oh, well. You made the day more interesting, but now it's time to find out if your baby can heal vaporization." As a huge energy ball appeared in his hands, the Source said, "This ends NOW!" ***  
  
Time and distance were meaningless as Cole flew towards the light. It felt like hours, but Cole had no way of knowing for sure. Eventually, Cole found the source of the light. It was a small island with a white shield around it. The black tentacles were touching it, but were unable to penetrate. As Cole hit the shield, he expected some kind of resistance, but met none. When he landed, Cole looked around, and spotted his son sitting a few feet away, rocking back and forth. Cole approached slowly and said, "Son?"  
  
His son looked up, and said hoarsely, "Father?" When Cole nodded, he said slowly, "I.I tri..tried to resist it. I tried to so hard, but I can't beat him. And now he is doing hor.horrible things." His son began to cry, and Cole gathered him up in his arms. "Shhhh.I know son. I know how hard it can be to fight evil, especially when it's the Source. I couldn't win, but I know you can."  
  
"No, I can't. I tried, but he is too strong. I couldn't stand up to the Source before, and this evil is even stronger." Cole's son said.  
  
Cole helped his son to his feet, and then looked out at the shield and asked, "How long will the shield last?"  
  
His son stared out for a second, and said, "I few more minutes, maybe less. I can't stand before him. I'm evil, and he knows it."  
  
Cole looked down at his son, and said, "Son, you are not evil. No one can make you evil, either by birth or by force. It has to be your choice, and you can choose."  
  
"But, you were evil as the Source." Cole's son said.  
  
"I wasn't strong enough to fight him, but you are. Look deep within yourself, past all the fear, and the hate, and the rage, and find your inner core, the place where you keep all your conviction. You cannot let him win, or he will kill everyone. Piper, Paige, Leo, your mother, even me will fall if you do not stand up right now. You can do it son. I know you can."  
  
Suddenly, the shield collapsed and the tentacles dart forward. They grab Cole around his arms and legs and began to pull him towards the sea. "FATHER!" Cole's son shouts. Cole looks at him, and says "Choose."  
  
Just as Cole is about to be pulled under, he heard his son shout, "I AM GOOD!" Cole looked up just in time to see light erupt from his son, a light far brighter than any sun in the universe. And everywhere the light touched, the black sea withered and died. Cole felt the light course through him, and surrendered to it, oblivious to his surroundings. ***  
  
As the Source prepared to fire an energy ball, Piper thought not like this. It can't end like this. Suddenly, the Source clutched at his stomach. He started to back away, and said, "What is.AHHHH!" White cracks began to appear along the Source's body, and he continued to back away. "NO!" The Source shouted. With a deafening explosion, the Source exploded. Piper closed her eyes and hoped nothing would hit her. When she opened them, she saw to her astonishment a being composed entirely of white light stood in the Source place. It was so beautiful, Piper felt tears come to her eyes. As the light from this being touched her, Piper felt the bonds loosen, and all her pain and weariness fade. She slowly got to her feet, and watched in astonishment as every agent of Good did the same.  
  
"But you were dead!" Piper exclaimed.  
  
"Apparently, not dead enough." Phoebe replied.  
  
"DO YOU THINK I AM FINISHED!" a voice roared.  
  
The Charmed Ones looked and gasped as the pieces of the Source began to come together. They came together and the puddle grew into it was vaguely man-shaped. The man shaped moved slowly, but it still moved.  
  
"I am POWER incarnate," the shadow shouted, pain obvious in its voice, "I cannot be vanquished! I am unstoppable!" The shadow then pointed towards the Charmed Ones and fired a beam of pure darkness. Just before it hit, the white being stepped in its path and stopped it. He shouted, "Cast your spell!" before he began to fire a series of white bolts at the shadow. The Charmed Ones began to chant:  
  
Ancient Powers of the Light Remove this being from our sight Listen to us, hear our rhyme Take this being for all time We now ask in these times dire Send this being to Tarturus's fires.  
  
As they finished chanting, a portal appeared behind the shadow. The shadow shouted, "NO!" and tried to avoid it. But, the white being hit him with a massive bolt, and the shadow fell in. The portal closed, and all was silent.  
  
The white being fell to his knees, and as the light began to fade, he shrank. Finally, the light faded, and Phoebe's son remained. He was panting, and trying to get his breath. Cole appeared beside him, and then promptly fell over. Phoebe ran over to him, and grabbed him as he fell.  
  
No one said anything for a few seconds, and then Fiona walked forward. She bent in front of Phoebe's son, touched her forehead to his, and said in a clear voice, "Fire to Life, I greet you brother." As she stood up, Undine walked forward, leaned down, and said, "Water to Life, I greet you Brother." One by one, the Guardians walked forward and repeated their benediction until only Mortano was left. He slowly walked forward, bent down, and touched his forehead to Phoebe's son. He then said in a tone that almost shook with power, "Death to Life, Yin to Yang, I greet you Brother. Welcome, Guardian of Life."  
  
As Mortanos helped Phoebe's son to his feet, Leo exclaimed, "What was that? You mean you were mortal once?"  
  
Fiona looked at Leo in annoyance and said, "You know, you're rather dense for a whitelighter. What, did you think we just appeared out of nowhere? We were all mortal once. Over the eons, we were tested, and if we passed, we became Guardians."  
  
"Wait, are you telling me this whole thing with Ezekiel was a test!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"Did really think any amount of fire could destroy the Grimoire? I had to use quite a bit of power to get the result I wanted." Fiona said.  
  
"How DARE you! What gives you the right! All those deaths, for just a TEST!" Piper shouted.  
  
"What deaths? Every being Ezekiel absorbed has been restored, as if they were fine. If you mean the worry and fear you felt, well, we are sorry about that. But, you have to understand, we needed to know. Guardians have a huge responsibility, and Life is paramount among the Guardians. No one has ever passed the first test, much less completed the trial. Phoebe's son had more potential than any of the previous ones, but the fact that he had fallen to evil before worried us. We had to make sure he could stop evil if it ever possessed him again. If he couldn't, we would have destroyed him and reset everything."  
  
"Wait, is that how he survived when he brought me back?" Cole asked.  
  
"Catches on quick," Moebi muttered to Mortanos, who smiled. "Yes, Cole. As Guardians, our actions are above reproach by anyone save other Guardians and God. When we explained our intentions, the court had no choice but to let him go."  
  
"If I hadn't stepped forward, he would have died before you got there!" Cole shouted.  
  
"We were there the whole time," Undine quipped. "We needed to judge his decision to give you another chance. Your willingness to be erased for him proved you truly were worthy of a second chance."  
  
"So now what?" Paige asked.  
  
"Now, Life takes his place in our circle as one of its strongest leaders, and we are complete. He will ascend with us to heaven and take his post for all time."  
  
"You mean he's leaving?" Phoebe gasped.  
  
"He has to," Mortanos said sadly. "He has a destiny beyond your comprehension. It is time for him to fulfill his duty."  
  
"Excuse me," Phoebe said, and then she walked off.  
  
Mortanos sighed, and said, "I wish it could be another way, but." Suddenly, he stopped, and looked back at Phoebe's son. Some sort of communication seemed to pass between them, and then Mortanos smiled and nodded. Phoebe's son turned and set off after Phoebe.  
  
"Now then, before we go, we have rewards to give out. Leo Wyatt, step forward." As Leo nervously stepped forward, Azar walked up to him and placed his hands on Leo. "Leo Wyatt, you showed compassion and bravery beyond the call of duty, and as such, I, Guardian of Spirit, hereby claim you as mine, and increase your powers." A brief blue glow encompassed Leo, and then he stepped back.  
  
"Piper Halliwell."  
  
As Piper stepped forward, Kuzan met her halfway. He touched her and said, "Piper, you took on the ultimate evil without blinking, even when you knew it was hopeless. You have proven yourself worthy of a special reward." As a glow encompassed Piper, Kuzan said, "I hereby alter your destiny and give you back what was taken from you. Piper Halliwell, you may have as many children as you want, instead of one. In addition, I hereby add to your powers." A orange glow surrounded Piper, and then she stepped back, tears in her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered.  
  
"Paige Halliwell."  
  
Paige walked forward quickly, and Tempest stepped forward. He touched her and said, "Paige, your insight and intuition provided us with a way to banish evil. You thought outside the box, and have shown yourself worthy. I give back to you the power taken from you in your past life. Use it wisely." Again, a yellow glow emanated from Paige, and then she stepped.  
  
"And finally, Cole Turner."  
  
As Cole approached, he said, "I require no reward. My second chance is enough for me."  
  
Mortanos smiled, and then he stepped forward and whispered, "You'll make me look bad if you say that." He then continued in a louder voice. "Cole Turner, you have walked roads of darkness few can travel. You have battled both good and evil, and never gave up hope in redemption. Therefore, I give you a gift, a gift you will discover in time." A black glow emerged from Cole, and then he stepped back.  
  
"Well, I guess it's time to be going." Moebi said, and the Guardians turned to leave.  
  
"Wait," Paige said, "What about Phoebe? She deserves a reward too."  
  
Moebi looked, and then said mysteriously, "We've already given her a reward." Then the Guardians were gone. ***  
  
Phoebe kept walking, trying to keep the tears from springing forth. She couldn't understand how her son could have become so important to her so quickly. She knew he was going on to do great good, but it didn't matter. She was losing him. When they thought they had to kill him, Phoebe had tried to pretend she was okay with it, but she wasn't. She walked for a few minutes, and then stopped at a cliff overlooking the city. She just stared out into the city, and wondered what she would do now.  
  
"Mom."  
  
Phoebe didn't turn, instead she said in a choked voice, "Coming to say goodbye?"  
  
Her son hesitated, and then said, "I'm not leaving."  
  
"What?" Phoebe said, turning around. "But, you have to go up and take your post?"  
  
"I talked to Mortanos, and we worked something out. By tradition, the main characters in a test are rewarded for their parts if they performed admirably. Since you did so well, and because I am so young, Mortanos agreed to cover for me up there until I'm ready. I will be Life eventually, but not now. I want a childhood, and most of all, I want to be with my family. If you'll have me, of course." Phoebe's son said the last part hesitantly.  
  
Phoebe burst into tears, and fell to her knees. She held out her arms, and her son ran into them. "Of course. I love you son."  
  
"I love you too mother." Phoebe's son said. He began to glow, and then the glow encompassed to Phoebe. When it was gone, Phoebe discovered she was holding air. However, she felt her son, with her in her womb, and back to where he should be. She smiled, and started to head back.  
  
When she got back, only her sisters, Cole and Leo were still in the clearing. Piper looked over and said hesitantly, "Everyone else is gone. Did your s.the Guardian of Life say goodbye?"  
  
Phoebe's smile grew, and she said, "He didn't go anywhere. He's back where he belongs," Phoebe continued as she touched stomach. Piper and Paige smiled, and then they hugged her. They held that pose for a few moments, and then Phoebe broke the embrace and said, "And his name is not Guardian of Life." She looked over at Cole for a few seconds, and then said, "His name is Gabriel Coleridge Turner."  
  
THE END 


End file.
